Healthcare In America
Healthcare In America
Traditionally, health insurance is covered in part by the US government but the heath care facilities are largely owned by private entities. Around 60 per cent of the government’s spending on healthcare is taken up by its Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Health Administration. The government spends more on healthcare for its citizens than any other nation on earth, yet over 16 per cent of Americans, nearly 50 million people, are without any form of health insurance.
Government programs cover about 28 per cent of the American public, but most Americans (60 per cent) get their health coverage through their employer. If your job does not offer health insurance then you will either go uninsured or will have to buy your own health policy, which can be very expensive. However, the prospect of having to visit the hospital for something serious without any insurance is downright frightening and bankrupts thousands of Americans every year.
President Obama pushed through his controversial healthcare program in 2010 but it has yet to take effect, and may, in fact, never get implemented as many states are already suing the federal government over the plan. President Obama’s plan is designed to provide health coverage to every American through work, the government or by forcing them to buy their own coverage.
As it stands now, the old system is still in place. Basically, whichever form of health insurance you have will require you to pay some kind of monthly payment. On top of that you will have to pay the deductable of your specific policy the first time each year you use your health insurance. After you pay the deductable, the insurance company will cover the rest of the costs.
Depending on your policy you may have to pay a percentage of the total medical bill, known as copayment. You can also arrange to have set fees for specific medical procedures and prescription drugs if you have a medical condition. Overall, the higher your deductable the lower your cost will be for the total annual health insurance coverage. A single visit to the doctor will cost several hundred dollars and a night or two in a hospital in the thousands. Medical care is extremely expensive in America which is why having health coverage is vital.
