subject: Health Insurance And Health Care [print this page] Anyone who has utilized the health care system in the United States likely has at least one complaint regarding some aspect of it. In fact, one survey from The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System revealed that 42% of Americans reported receiving poorly coordinated, unsafe, or highly inefficient health care within the previous two years.
Some of the problems that were reported include medical errors, some of which had the potential to cause serious damage or even fatality, as well as treatment or diagnostic testing that was unnecessary, yet was recommended by a medical doctor. In addition, the failure of some service providers to deliver extremely important information, such as test results, to treatment personal was also reported. Patients also complained of having to go through duplicate tests due to the results being misplaced or lack of communication between providers.
Previous studies have also found correlations between health insurance and the level of care provided. For example, individuals that seek treatment at emergency rooms are more likely to be kept waiting for treatment, regardless of the severity of ailment, than patients that have health insurance. This is presumably due to the increased likelihood that the hospital will be reimbursed for expenses from someone with health insurance.
In addition, anyone that visits an emergency room in a poverty-stricken area will discover that wait times increase astronomically in relation to the general income of an area. With overworked and underpaid medical professionals, understaffed facilities, and limited resources, even patients with insurance will find the level of care provided dismal.
It is blatantly obvious that health insurance and level of health care go hand-in-hand, yet studies continue to be completed to bolster this fact. A 2010 study warned that without drastic changes, more than 275,000 American adults would die in the next decade simply due to a lack of health insurance. With such a supposedly advanced country, this statistic is simply unacceptable.
Plus, there are thousands or even millions of citizens that are victims of a reduced quality of life and increased pain and discomfort due to the problem of health insurance. Uninsured individuals are more likely to skip life-saving screenings and wait until the problem has become unbearable before they seek treatment, a significant reason why the mortality statistics for anyone without health insurance are so high. After all, if you can't afford health insurance, you definitely can't afford the cost of traditional health care without insurance.
The mortality statistics do not apply to children, as most are covered by state health insurance programs. However, despite these programs, many children still remain uninsured due to their parents making just enough money to not be eligible for state programs, but not enough to afford health insurance premiums.
With such startling facts, it is certain that something must be done regarding health insurance in the United States. Whether the new health care reform is the answer will remain to be seen.
by: Casey Trillbar
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