Assignment: Cost Containment

Sidra Hashmi

Happ452

03/25/12

Op/Ed Assignment: Cost Containment

The idea of living in a place where everyone is covered by health care would be illusory, but it doesn't have to be. If someone hurt themselves, got pregnant, developed a chronic illness they would all be covered without going bankrupt, losing their jobs, or giving up hope. Why is America's health system ranked so low compared to other developed countries, despite our abundance of technology and medical education? With the growing amount of Americans living without health insurance, America needs to move towards universal health coverage and a single payer system.

With a single payer system health care would be based on need, not ability to pay. "The United State spends twice as much as other industrialized nations on health care," (Universal). Most of the 47 million Americans without health insurance use the Emergency Room as their source of health care. Each Emergency Room visit is very expensive. "75% of all health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, many of which can be prevented," (Universal).With more attention towards providing preventative care for all, many expenses can be reduced.

Take a look at Medicaid and Medicare versus private insurance: Medicare and Medicaid care for the most disabled unhealthy people and operate at one-thirteenth of the admin overhead that private health insurance companies do. "The Congressional Budget Office projects that single payer would reduce overall health costs by $225 billion by 2004," (What). The government needs to separate health insurance from ability to pay, and have one single government funded health care provider at a state or national level.

References

Harris, R. D. (2007, March). Arguments for Universal Health Access in the United

States: A Radiologist's Perspective. American Journal of Reontgenology ,

188(3). doi:10.2214/AJR.07.0072

Universal Health Care. (n.d.). Retrieved from HealthPAC online website:

http://www.healthpaconline.net/health-care-solutions.htm

What is Single Payer? (n.d.). Retrieved from Physicians for a National Health

Program website: http://www.pnhp.org/facts/what-is-single-payer