Part 2: How U.S. Health Care Costs Compare to Other Countries
Part 3: Problems with Private Insurance
President Obama says the U.S. must reform health care. Is he right?
If you have a personal story about butting heads with your insurance company to get a surgery or a prescription drug covered, you probably understand why the United States is pursuing health care reform. If you're one of the 47 million that lacks health insurance, then you may also understand, particularly if you've experienced an illness or injury you couldn't afford to get checked out. And if you didn't get a raise this past year despite a great performance, then you might have the rising costs of your employer's health insurance plan to thank for that, and you, too, might be ready for some changes.
But many people may not understand why we need health care reform. One CNN poll showed that 8 in 10 Americans are happy with their health insurance [source: Steinhauser]. If things work well, why change them? And when the proposed change is likened to a government takeover of health insurance, then those who believe the government's role in the lives of its citizens should be very limited become agitated. You may think that it's everyone's personal responsibility to secure health coverage. You see the sob stories on the news about people forced into bankruptcy and feel concerned, but ultimately, you wonder, did these people splurge on flat-screen televisions instead of practicing fiscal discipline? And if so, why is it the government's responsibility to help them out?
To some extent, a lack of individual responsibility for one's health could be seen as a culprit in our exorbitant health care costs. There's no doubt that we love our supersized fast food meals here in the United States, and one study posited that 27 percent of the rise of health care costs was due to obesity; another 7 percent of the costs is due to smoking [source: Clifton]. The Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University has determined that costly, largely preventable conditions like diabetes and heart disease may put an extra $100 billion to $150 billion on our country's tab each year, compared to European countries [source: Girion].
But to say that everyone is fat, smoking like a chimney and buying flat-screen televisions instead of healthy fruits and vegetables is a gross oversimplification. Yes, there probably are individuals who haven't taken responsibility when they should have. If we step back and take a look at the big picture, however, it becomes apparent that the health care system isn't working as well as it should, and it's costing all of us. Insured or uninsured, Democrat or Republican, the current health care system is simply not the best value for the money that we pay.
To some extent, a lack of individual responsibility for one's health could be seen as a culprit in our exorbitant health care costs. There's no doubt that we love our supersized fast food meals here in the United States, and one study posited that 27 percent of the rise of health care costs was due to obesity; another 7 percent of the costs is due to smoking [source: Clifton]. The Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University has determined that costly, largely preventable conditions like diabetes and heart disease may put an extra $100 billion to $150 billion on our country's tab each year, compared to European countries [source: Girion].
But to say that everyone is fat, smoking like a chimney and buying flat-screen televisions instead of healthy fruits and vegetables is a gross oversimplification. Yes, there probably are individuals who haven't taken responsibility when they should have. If we step back and take a look at the big picture, however, it becomes apparent that the health care system isn't working as well as it should, and it's costing all of us. Insured or uninsured, Democrat or Republican, the current health care system is simply not the best value for the money that we pay.
Some sobering statistics in the post below. Please read .
Enjoy your weekend.Hope your weather clears up...See ya.
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