Cost of Healthcare and Health Coverage
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The increasing cost of healthcare and health coverage has been an issue of much debate in the US. What is even grimmer is the fact that preventable diseases amount to approximately 90% of the healthcare cost. Not only do the preventable diseases increase cost but they are also known to result in eight out of nine deaths, as well. According to Consumer Study report more than 40% of the Americans don’t have healthcare protection as yet.[br]
Factors Behind Increase: Cost of Healthcare and Health Coverage
The healthcare industry has always suffered from over hyped prescriptive medicines. Doctors and Physicians prescribe pills, which invariably have lesser alleviating effects. This results in repeated treatment of the same medicines and increases cost.
Secondly, the administrative overheads, such as the billings and filings add to the total cost of the healthcare process. The patients, unfortunately, face the brunt as payments are shifted from the insurance companies to them. Adding substance to this reason is the bankruptcy statistics according to which half of all bankruptcy cases are due to medical expenses.
Referral and the waiting time are other main reasons behind the increase in cost of healthcare and health coverage. The time spent by the patient unattended or with sub-standard care amounts to the total costs. Referral systems, where physicians in the network are the only medical assistance available, limit the options for patients.
Reforms: Cost of Healthcare and Health Coverage[br]
Universal healthcare has for long been seen as the solution to check the high cost, however very little has been done so far in the US. It still remains a reformative ‘scribbling on paper’ with no legislative power. Though, its effects are plausible as proved in countries such as Britain and Canada.
Reforms in research and development of pharmaceutical products will have positive effects as well. An American spends $728 on medicines, which is in excess by 30%-40% when compared to countries such as Canada. If prescriptive medicines are watched closely and the government assess the quality for their therapeutic power on an annual basis, ineffective medicines can be banned and thus the number of ineffective treatments will decreases, checking the high cost of healthcare and health coverage in US.
