Healthcare in America Essays

Healthcare in America Essays ï » ¿Healthcare in America Essay ï » ¿Healthcare in America Essay Healthcare in America Abstract Healthcare has become one of the largest social problems in the United States. Healthcare costs are rising and at the same time preventative care is spiraling downward. Healthcare has become unattainable for those who are financially disadvantaged or those with chronic illnesses and unaffordable by those that are already insured. The United States is fast becoming one of the worst health care systems in the world. Not only are they the only industrialized nation that does not provide some form of universal health care to its citizens, they have one of the highest rates for health care expenditures. (healthcareproblems.org, 2013). Most Americans believe that there needs to be a change but how to obtain that change has polarized the nation into two groups: those for national healthcare and those who do not want big government. In this essay I will identify the social problem of healthcare, examine how this problem is affecting the United States and use a conflict perspective to examine one of the causes of this problem. Healthcare in America The rising cost of medical care and health insurance is impacting the livelihood of many Americans in one way or another. The inability to pay for necessary medical care is no longer a problem affecting only the uninsured, but is increasingly becoming a problem for those with health insurance as well. (healthcareproblems.org, 2013). Because technology in healthcare has become more sophisticated and the rate of the uninsured is rising, healthcare costs are skyrocketing. As a result, small companies or the self-employed are opting out of buying insurance. Many young healthy employees cannot afford the cost of health insurance and decide it is not worth paying for and remain uninsured. There are also those who do not qualify for healthcare due to pre-existing conditions usually caused by preventable chronic illnesses. Both the uninsured and underinsured are seeking care in the emergency rooms when they become sick and therefore premiums for insurance holders must be raised in order to p ay for this care. This in turn, causes many of the insured to drop their health insurance. A vicious cycle has developed of rising costs and people exiting the  healthcare system. Research study on how the healthcare problem is affecting the United States found that the underinsured behave a lot like the uninsured when it comes to medical care. That is, they often don’t visit the doctor, don’t fill prescriptions, and don’t undergo preventive checkups and lab tests. Even when they go without preventive care and necessary prescriptions, many of the underinsured are still unable to cover all their medical expenses. (healthcareproblems.org, 2013). Many people are finding it difficult to meet their financial obligations and have had to change their way of life in order to pay their medical bills. Approximately half of personal bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical bills. Preventative care is declining because people don’t want to pay for docto r visits. More people are developing chronic illnesses that could have been prevented with regular healthcare checkups. The majority of healthcare spending is towards the treatment of chronic illnesses. People are finding they are in a â€Å"job-lock† staying at their place of employment for the sole purpose of receiving healthcare or accepting employment based on healthcare benefits. Many couples living together are getting married in order to access their spouse’s health care benefits. Retirees will need an estimated $635,000 (per couple over age 65) to cover healthcare costs in retirement. This amount is estimated to give a retired couple a 90 percent chance of having enough money to pay for their health expenses beyond what Medicare covers. (healthcareproblems.org, 2013). Another aspect of the healthcare social problem is reform. As long as the issue of healthcare reform has been around, the idea has always caused social divide in the United States. Now that legislation for healthcare reform has passed, there are arguments as to how reform will be funded. Politicians in Washington we re unable to agree or compromise on funding. As a result, the budget for the new fiscal was delayed causing a government shutdown. This has impacted federal employees as they have been put on work furlough and may not be able to meet their financial needs. Conflict theorists are concerned with the issue of who benefits from particular social arrangements and how those in power maintain their positions and continue to reap benefits from them. The ruling class is seen as a group that spreads certain values, beliefs, and social arrangements to enhance its power and wealth. The social order then reflects the outcome of a struggle among those with unequal power and resources. (Tischler, 2013). We can look at the healthcare problem and recent reform legislation in the United States from a conflict perspective. Poorer Americans (those with unequal power and resources) are far more likely to be without healthcare insurance than rich ones (the ruling class). For those with less financial resources, it’s a struggle to obtain healthcare or to afford it and strongly feel there needs to be a change. This group makes up a large portion of constituents supporting liberal politicians who favor social government programs. The â€Å"ruling class† has a strong influence on the conservative politicians in Washington, who strongly oppose the â€Å"big government† of healthcare reform. The social order has been disrupted. Proponents and opponents are passionate about their political beliefs on healthcare reform. Both conservative and liberal groups in Washington, with the influence of their constituents, are unable to agree upon funding for reform or reach a compromise. This is has polarized the nation causing a form of social disorder among those with power and resources and those without. References HealthCareProblems.Org. A Collection of Problems with the US Healthcare System (2013). Retrieved from healthcareproblems.org/health-care-statistics.htm Tischler. Cengage Advantage Books: Introduction to Sociology, 10th Edition. 2013. Bookshelf.Web. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781285396835/id/ch1-L3-L1