Why is the U.S. the only developed country without universal healthcare coverage?
Access to healthcare is arguably one of the most important aspects to a long and productive life. Despite being one of the wealthiest nations, the United States often lags behind other countries in its ability to equally care for all its citizens. In fact, America’s complex hybrid healthcare system is one of the costliest to run but has some of the lowest healthcare outcomes.
Consider these U.S. healthcare facts:
- Healthcare in the U.S. is usually driven by income level. In 2012, the wealthy received 43% more doctor visits than the poor.
- In 2018, 27.5 million people did not have health insurance at any point during the year.
- Medical drugs in America are significantly more expensive than in other countries. In 2015, the cancer drug Avastin cost around $470 in the United Kingdom. The exact same drug in the United States during the same period cost $3,930.
- Because of its inefficiency, administrative costs in the United States account for around 8% of its overall healthcare costs. In other developed countries, the average is between 1% and 3%.
Single-Payer Healthcare
These facts have led to many heated discussions about universal health coverage for all Americans, which could provide quality medical services to all citizens, regardless of their ability to pay. In our new course, “Exploring Single-Payer Healthcare,” we look at various forms of healthcare that exist around the world, paying special attention to those countries that utilize single-payer healthcare systems. What would it be like to have universal healthcare coverage in the U.S.? Are there downsides? What are the benefits? Is it possible for the U.S. to completely change its healthcare system? As the course will show, America has along and storied history with its own attempts to implement universal healthcare reform—in an effort to both combat special interests and curb rising healthcare costs in America, for citizens and the government alike. And it is a hot topic that is still being discussed today.
As always, InternetCE is here to help with all your online North Carolina insurance continuing education needs. Check out our new course and learn more now!
