Atul Gawande is an American surgeon, professor, notable author, and writer for the New Yorker. In his 2015 article “Overkill,” he describes many of the flaws the American healthcare system holds. Throughout the article, Gawande intertwines personal stories, patient stories, and expert testimonies to make his argument stronger. Gawande argues, “Millions of Americans get tests, drugs, and operations that won’t make them better, may cause harm, and costs billions.” Or in many cases, he redefines over testing and “low-value” care as providing “no-value” care.
(par. 2), “one local hospital charged an uninsured patient $29,000 for an appendectomy that would have cost an insured patient $6,783.” (par. 5), and “the uninsured account for only 2 percent of its patients, but 35 percent of its profits” (par. 5). The details and numbers build an appeal to logos and influence the reader that health care is a
In 2010, the aggregate shortfall of government funding for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries was estimated at $28 billion dollars. Currently, Medicare and Medicaid in combined do not cover the complete cost of care for program recipients but their beneficiaries account for about half the care provided by hospitals . In the chart it shows the uncompensated care and payment shortfalls from Medicare and Medicaid in billions of dollars, 2010 Similarly, between 2000 and 2010, the cost of uncompensated care grew by 82 percent, from $21.6 to $39.3 billion. In the below chart it shows the cost-based uncompensated care in billions of dollars, 1990 – 2010 .EMTALA’s
In 2013, California physician Daniel J. Stone wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times titled “Our Big Appetite for Healthcare.” Stone wrote this article because he wants people informed about the growing addiction that people in Southern California have for healthcare. He outlines how the problem is bad for both doctors and patients. By publishing this article, the Los Angeles Times hopes to have people more knowledgeable about the reality of overusing healthcare. Stone uses two persuasive strategies to interest readers.
The United States is the only Western nation that does not authorize free health services to its people. The cost of healthcare to the uninsured is beyond prohibitive, and insurance plans are far more captivated with profit costs, rather
The cost of healthcare deters individuals from receiving treatment like a diagnosis. The awareness that society now has, that doctors don’t have all the answers, makes current and future patients susceptible to never the field of healthcare as a resource to handle any
Health care should not be considered a political argument in America; it is a matter of basic human rights. Something that many people seem to forget is that the US is the only industrialized western nation that lacks a universal health care system. The National Health Care Disparities Report, as well as author and health care worker Nicholas Conley and Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), strongly suggest that the US needs a universal health care system. The most secure solution for many problems in America, such as wasted spending on a flawed non-universal health care system and 46.8 million Americans being uninsured, is to organize a national health care program in the US that covers all citizens for medical necessities.
Summary of “The American Healthcare Paradox” “The American Health Care Paradox” focuses on health care and how the United States is suffering compared to their peer countries. The United States has spent billions of dollars in health care and the problem is still growing. The government is responsible for not following or ignoring the issue that we suffered with, in today’s society the healthcare system is failing drastically. The health care system has been a problem for several decades now, even though it seems that things are getting better it’s not.
People all around the world have no chance of surviving simple to treat diseases or sicknesses due to the fact that they can’t afford health insurance. In the book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” it says “...the last thing he remembered before falling unconscious under the anesthesia was a doctor saying his mother’s cells were one of the most important things that had ever happened to medicine. Sonny woke up more than $125,000 in debt because he didn’t have health insurance to cover the surgery (Lacks 306).” This quote shows how people that can’t afford health insurance because they are poor are expected to pay the money for the surgery. His own mother’s cells were the biggest breakthrough in medicine history but her son couldn’t afford health insurance.
Healthcare is something everyone needs and should be able to get, but right now that is not happening. In America there are millions of people who don’t have healthcare insurance. This is because some can’t afford the insurance plan. There are also millions more who have health insurance, but can’t afford using it. This means that they are paying for an insurance plan, but the deductibles are so high they can’t afford to go to the doctor.
For both the uninsured group and those who are eligible for government assistance because of their low economic position, access to health is limited by the number of private providers willing to treat them. In many cases private providers are linked to particular private health insurance companies and won 't accept patients outside their network. These people must then rely on the overburdened public health system for care, and as such usually only seek treatment in emergencies. The public health system, while filled with competent staff, is nevertheless restricted by its funding and can therefore not always provide all these patients with the best quality of care. The inequality in health care access is a continuing issue in America and as such it is important for future consumers and workers on the Foothill College campus to have a thorough understanding of the issue so they can move to improve the problem in the
In the film Escape Fire the Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, there were many insightful examples of why our Unites States healthcare revolves around paying more and getting less. The system is designed to treat diseases rather than preventing them and promoting wellness. In our healthcare industry, there are many different contributors that provide and make up our system. These intermediaries include suppliers, manufacturers, consumers, patients, providers, policy and regulations. All these members have a key role in the functionality of the health care industry; however, each role has its positives and negatives.
The cost of healthcare has been growing at a rate unparalleled by any other financial concern in the American economy. Many Americans are facing the threat of being unable to pay for healthcare as healthcare costs are growing at a rate that is significantly faster than inflation. The cost to stay in a hospital bed is between 2,000 to 10,000 dollars per day in the United States, not including treatments and other fees. The significant price increase is an ongoing political battle due to the closings and merging of hospitals during the pandemic; the power of price control has been centralized to the larger healthcare providers. Politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Business insiders such as Forbes have been at the forefront of this push to
Most Pharmaceutical Drugs are essential in saving a life. By causing the prices of these drugs at all-time highs and forcing Americans to buy these drugs, taking loan after loan out, we are essentially denying access to effective treatment for most socioeconomic groups. • The costs of these Pharmaceutical drugs without the help of insurance coverage are a significant obstruction to access because insurance companies don’t help with cost as much. A Parent with a youth in need of these drugs, whether in the higher or lower voice of the economy will pay thousands of dollars on simple medication that will be used to save their lives. • “State laws and other “well-intentioned” federal policies limit generics abilities to hold prices down.”
Leonard Salt spoke about the financial toxicity of these drug price and how pharmaceutical companies are clearly taking advantage of patience. Pharmaceutical companies are completely aware that cancer diagnosis is one of the leading cause of bankruptcy in America, yet, they turned a blind eye to this reality. Why does this occur; especially, knowing the insurance company will pay? Yes, the insurance company will pay, but only a portion, leaving the patient to remunerate the remaining cost. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America, such a shame.
