One of the major weaknesses in the American health care system is the fact that nearly 30 million Americans are uninsured, and many with health coverage are underinsured (“Key Facts”). There is an ongoing debate about whether or not America should switch to a universal health care system, similar to our Canadian neighbors in which every citizen is covered for life. We haven’t made this change collectively yet, but there are some communities within the country that are working towards systems that are based around equality and better care for lesser costs. There are two aspects that have been notably successful, including providing uninsured patients with care, and allowing patients to share the decision-making process with their physician.
In America’s current system, those with government health care like Medicare or Medicaid have trouble finding quality care. In fact, some physicians don’t even treat those patients. But what if we made the costs the same for everyone, and cared for everyone regardless of their income or insurance coverage? According to U.S. Health Care: The Good News, this would actually cause the country to spend less in the long run. If more people are taken care of, even if they aren’t covered by insurance or can’t pay for it right away, this will create a society full of healthy people — instead of a society where millions of uninsured Americans don’t ever go to the doctor until it’s too late. A healthier society means less hospital visits and emergency surgeries, which will ultimately be cheaper (Hartman).
This goes hand-in-hand with implementing more preventative care, which a lot of other communities have done as well. Instead of waiting until their ailments have become overwhelming, patients are encouraged to see their physicians regularly to make sure everything is alright and to treat what isn’t right away. Additionally, patients are becoming part of the decision-making process alongside their doctors. A lot of the time, doctors tell patients what the “right” course of action is and the patient doesn’t question it — doctors are experts, after all. But are some of these treatments unnecessary? Are they even what the patient wants?
This is what some communities have been exploring in their health care systems. They’ve found that if a patient is educated on the pros and cons of a certain type of treatment, they can decide for themselves if it is something they want to pursue. In some cases, patients choose not to get a certain surgery or take a certain drug, which eliminates these extra costs (Hartman). However, it also means that the doctor doesn’t get paid for that procedure. But, this is the sacrifice that a good health care professional must make. Health care should not be about profit; instead, it is about helping people live better and healthier lives. We haven’t made this change collectively yet, but there are some communities within the country that are working towards systems that are based around equality and better care for lesser costs. This goes hand-in-hand with implementing more preventative care.
