The United States of America is the only wealthy developed nation that does not have a universal healthcare system available to its citizens. The result, “factoring in costs borne by government, the private sector, and individuals, the U.S. spends over 1.9 trillion dollars annually on healthcare expenses,” (Lee) which far exceeds the health expenses of any other developed industrialized nation. Ironically, the percentage of the uninsured is extremely high and medical expenses are very overbearing for those who do not have medical insurance offered by their employer or can’t afford medical insurance on their own.
According to the OnlineNewsHour, “nearly one in five Americans under the age of 65 was without health insurance in 2005, a number that has continued to grow for the past decade.”
Most shocking, however, are small business owners who are trying to stay afloat by competing with Multinational Corporations. Multinational Corporations cut cost by taking advantage of offshore outsourcing, while the small business owners has yet another cost they have to deal with in order to retain their employees: the cost of healthcare premiums, which is rising much faster than the general inflation rate or employee wages. “Health insurance premiums have increased rapidly over the recent past, growing 78% between 2001 and 2007 and far outpacing cumulative wage growth of 19% over the same period,” (Employer Health) according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent benevolent organization dedicated to healthcare issues.
The issue of healthcare is one of the main concerns addressed in the political campaigns. It is going to be very interesting to find out what nee solution is going to be implemented in order to reduce healthcare premiums or offer healthcare to all citizens.
According to the OnlineNewsHour, “nearly one in five Americans under the age of 65 was without health insurance in 2005, a number that has continued to grow for the past decade.”
Most shocking, however, are small business owners who are trying to stay afloat by competing with Multinational Corporations. Multinational Corporations cut cost by taking advantage of offshore outsourcing, while the small business owners has yet another cost they have to deal with in order to retain their employees: the cost of healthcare premiums, which is rising much faster than the general inflation rate or employee wages. “Health insurance premiums have increased rapidly over the recent past, growing 78% between 2001 and 2007 and far outpacing cumulative wage growth of 19% over the same period,” (Employer Health) according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent benevolent organization dedicated to healthcare issues.
The issue of healthcare is one of the main concerns addressed in the political campaigns. It is going to be very interesting to find out what nee solution is going to be implemented in order to reduce healthcare premiums or offer healthcare to all citizens.
1 comment:
To tell you the truth I never realized our health care issues in the United States, until I lost my health insurance. I have realized how important it is to have health insurance, Everyone should have the opportunity to have it. The movie Sicko really made me realize how many people don't have insurance. We have to make some changes, in order to take care of our nation.
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