Cost

At Healthcare United, we have seen medical costs skyrocket, leaving many of our patients unable to get the care they need – or even being forced into bankruptcy to pay for health care.

While big insurance and drug companies continue to rake in hefty profits, every 30 seconds in the United States, someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.

Up to 25 percent of the cost that we are being charged for insurance premiums is being spent on administrative salaries or marketing costs alone. This doesn’t even account for the built-in profit margin of these companies. Yet a recent study showed that in 2001, two million Americans experienced medical bankruptcy -- bankruptcy caused by illness, injury, medical expenses, or a combination of the three.

Still even more shocking: 75% of these patients had health insurance coverage at the time they became ill or injured.

Quality

In 2005, the Commonwealth Fund surveyed sicker adults in six highly industrialized countries and found 51% of U.S. adults surveyed did not visit a doctor, get a needed test, or fill a prescription within the past two years because of cost. None of the other five countries came close to that percentage.

Other recent studies show that only a little more than half of adult patients in our country receive the basic levels of recommended care. This is true whether it is for chronic, acute, or preventive care, and it is true across all spectrums -- screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.

So while the United States spends nearly $100 billion a year to provide uninsured residents with health services, these are very often for preventable diseases or diseases that physicians could treat more efficiently with earlier diagnosis – not only saving money, but sparing our patients from immeasurable distress and pain.

And what about our patients, and those of us who are underinsured? A new study found that 29% of people who had health insurance were “underinsured” with coverage so meager they often postponed medical care because of costs. Nearly 50% overall, and 43% of people with health coverage, said they were “somewhat” to “completely” unprepared to cope with a costly medical emergency over the coming year.

Access

Nearly 47 million Americans – that’s 16% of the population --were without health insurance in 2005.

This rampant lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. These are our neighbors, our patients, and even our family members.

Although this country leads the world in spending on health care, it is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all of its citizens have coverage.

So what are we as caregivers in this ailing system going to do about it? We’ve been silent for too long. The time has come for us to raise our voices together, and help bring about the change we know is desperately needed.