It's All About the Money

Healthcare costs in the United States are continuously on the rise for many different reasons.  Of course the obvious is the increase in medical technologies available to doctors and healthcare providers.  There are so many tests available that often doctors rely too much on tests and less on their clinical abilities and intuitions to diagnose and treat their patients.  Understandably so, it is possible that this has also led to inefficiencies in delivering medical care to those in need.  Therefore, more tests are being used to diagnose conditions that used to be done by clinical providers and this is causing greater expenses for the patients and institutions.  There are also other reasons as to why healthcare per capita spending is increasing: an increase in lawsuits, malpractice insurance and emergency room coverage of costs that are causing patients to incur more than they bargained for in terms of necessary care.

I must agree with many of the previous posts in saying that the United States healthcare system has most definitely turned into more of a business than it ever had been.  However, this is going to cause a huge problem for other businesses and families in being able to afford healthcare and coverage for even the most necessary of treatments.  Businesses are not going to be able to offer their employees the same benefits, which in turn causes larger out-of-pocket expenses for the patient.  In tangent to this, families might start to turn away from seeking out care for problems they otherwise would have because of this out-of-pocket expense.  They are going to start viewing their medical health as an optional expense, which it never should be.

Overall, I think the view of the healthcare system and the never-ending increase in technologies is forcing the United States system onto a very dangerous path.  As consumers/patients, we cannot afford the care that we often times need.  However, as a business, the healthcare system cannot afford to continue operation if they do not increase their prices.  So, if healthcare reform is not the answer, then what is?