Since President Obama’s Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, Congress has done
everything they can to stop it.
They even shut down the government for two weeks.
But the reason Obamacare exists in the first place, is due to astronomically high healthcare
costs.
In fact, the number one reason Americans file for bankruptcy is due to medical bills.
So, why exactly is US healthcare so expensive?
Well, healthcare in the United States is very different from healthcare in the rest of the
world.
The US is one of the only developed countries without universal healthcare for its citizens.
Often times, care is treated as a commodity, rather than a necessity.
Instead of prices being set by procedure cost, hospitals and insurance companies negotiate
for prices that are based on bargaining power.
Meanwhile, patients have almost no influence on the cost, considering that there is often
no alternative to being treated.
But some have pointed out that unlike other commodities, healthcare costs tend to rise
without ever going down, leading to a perpetually increasing price point.
One of the reasons for this is that hospitals are responsible for treating uninsured patients.
The cost of their treatment is passed on to insured patients, and is tacked onto their
care.
Additionally, US hospitals spend considerably more than any other country on administrative
costs.
Doctors also earn much more for the same procedures than in other countries.
Even drug costs are higher, as the US does not negotiate drug purchases in bulk.
From top to bottom, healthcare suppliers charge Americans more money.
However, alongside providers being overcharged, some higher costs can be blamed on Americans
themselves.
In the US, preventative care is less stressed, and as such, Americans don’t go to the doctor
until they absolutely have to.
For example, in other countries, citizens avoid heart attacks by visiting the doctor
more frequently.
And even when they do get heart attacks, they are less likely to receive costly open heart
surgery.
But in the US doctors make more money for performing certain procedures.
Thus there is an incentive to push expensive, and sometimes unnecessary surgeries.
Sadly, despite spending considerably more on healthcare than any other nation on earth,
the US has one of the worst health care systems among developed nations.
In an international profile of worldwide healthcare, the US has ranked dead last when compared
to similar nations.
Although the Affordable Care Act is in effect, insurers and pharmaceutical companies are
still raking in billions, all while Americans suffer from a lower standard of care.
Because healthcare is so expensive, many Americans are crossing borders to get dental care, heart
surgery, and more — as are millions of other people around the world.
Find out more in this video.
Thanks for watching TestTube!
Make sure to like and subscribe to watch new videos daily.