Earlier this month, the CEO of United Healthcare was assassinated during morning rush hour in downtown Manhattan. person alleged to be a murderer confession In particular, one sentence that read, “The United States has the most expensive health care system in the world, but ranks about 42nd in life expectancy” quickly went viral.
The murder sparked a collective outpouring of dissatisfaction with America’s insurance companies and an unforgettable moment of collective jubilation among those who felt the insurance industry was waiting for them. What it didn’t do was focus on policies that could make health insurance and the broader health care system work better. Both the horrific act of violence and the frivolous response to it struck me as tragic. Because in fact, there are many ways to improve the situation. The system is broken. However, the problem is not unsolvable. American politicians, even bipartisan ones, are not incapable of making common sense improvements.
To be clear, the problem is serious. Americans spend more on health care than citizens of any other country; In return, you get less. Here, insurance is not really functioning as insurance because it cannot protect the policyholder from medical expenses. Premiums are exorbitant: the average household paid $23,968 For employer-sponsored private plans In 2023, out-of-pocket costs will be similar. 9 out of 10 workers have health insurance through work There is a deduction amountup from 6 in 10 15 years ago. The average deductible for a single policy is $1,735. That means the worker must pay $1,735 of his or her claim before insurance kicks in. The government allows family plans to have a deductible of up to $16,100 per year.
As a result of this country’s high copays and stingy insurance, 41% of American adults medical debt. Hospital charges are the main factor bankruptcy Submission. And many Americans with insurance continue to skip doctor visits and forego prescription drugs because they can’t afford it.
Furthermore, the country’s insurance companies are driving up overall health spending, rather than restraining it. Excessive management costs burden the country Estimation According to one estimate, that’s $248 billion a year. of Policy analyst Matt Brunig He pointed out that in the United States, only $68 of every $100 paid to private insurance companies goes toward medical care. In a single-payer system, such as the UK’s National Health Service, this figure is $87.
Insurance companies in this country are a huge nuisance not only to consumers, but also to employers, hospitals, and doctors. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that more than half of insured people experience problems accessing insurance. every year: Your claim was denied, you had trouble finding an in-network provider, or you were unable to obtain timely pre-approval. The more serious your illness, the worse your insurance rating will be. Insurance companies can also act as a barrier to critical care treatment and necessary medications.
what to do? Progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren condemned the killings but acknowledged that insurance companies are causing the pain. Both suggest that the country will undergo a fundamental policy shift toward: single payer system. Proposals similar to Medicare for All would eliminate private insurance and instead enroll Americans in popular and efficient programs that cover today’s seniors.
The benefit and danger of such a proposal lies in its destructiveness. Meanwhile, Americans won’t have to worry about losing coverage or have to renegotiate with their insurance companies. Companies no longer need to manage employee health insurance or pay their employees’ premiums. Governments will have far greater ability to contain costs, negotiate drug prices, and invest in public health. Meanwhile, Washington will recode one-sixth of the American economy, shuttering dozens of insurance companies and possibly wiping out their shareholders. This proposal is popular, but not that popular-Probably not the first move, especially if you have a divided government or a Republican in power.
There are a number of useful but less disruptive measures that politicians should consider. One would be to allow individuals to consent to Medicaid, lower the eligibility age for Medicare, or automatically enroll children in Medicaid regardless of their parents’ income. Creating a public option Popular clause enacted Protection from the Affordable Care Act is another possibility. Millions of Americans prefer Medicare over private insurance. Expenses and insurance premiums are your responsibility. much lower than private insurance. Additionally, Medicaid, which is available to low-income Americans, has very limited out-of-pocket costs.
The country could also do what most European countries with private health insurance companies do: regulate them more tightly. Provides more detailed and powerful regulations on what insurance companies must cover. Set costs and reimbursement rates. Broad provider networks, low overhead, and simple claims programs allow insurance companies to compete for consumers’ business. most americans want Maintaining private insurance systems. They just want it to work better.
Many of the Republican health care proposals so far have done the opposite, forcing insurance companies to More power deny a participant’s claim or increase premiums; But the Trump administration is ideologically heretical. Elon Musk, perhaps Donald Trump’s most prominent policy advisor, suggested He argued that the government should make drugs like Ozempic widely available to the public at “ultra-low cost.” Washington could negotiate directly with drug companies. If Congress wanted, it could do so for all prescription drugs.
Elected politicians have avoided making such changes for ideological reasons, intense lobbying from insurance companies, or simply out of inertia. However, many of them are popular across the political spectrum. Americans are clearly fed up with the system and think vigilante violence is the appropriate response, but they should call their representatives instead. There are better solutions than guns, which kill a single person and save a single sick American.
