The absence of a universal national health insurance in the United States is the direct result of the high cost of healthcare services. Ranging from medication costs to the expenses related to hospital care, the overall financial burden is extremely high. Yet, the way healthcare system is financed does not allow an opportunity to create an effective program of national insurance. Specifically, “the government has to cover about one third of people in the US, but has to pay about two thirds of the bills” (Healthcare Triage, 2014, 6:24). In essence, establishing a universal insurance financed by the government would bankrupt it.
Second, the prevalence of middle class in the US is an impeding factor. Medicare insurances are expensive yet affordable by representatives of middle class. If the government imposes a universal insurance, all insurances would subsequently cover lesser amounts of services because the entire range of medical services is too expensive (Shi & Singh, 2019). As a result, there is no incentive for middle-class citizens to promote a universal health insurance, as they would receive lower quality healthcare covered by universal insurance. The current system allows them to choose insurance type according to their finances.
Finally, American beliefs may prevent the implementation of a national health insurance. Shi & Singh write about the national dedication to the advancement of science in medicine (2019). Vogenberg supports this by pointing out the American interest in technological progress in healthcare, particularly concerning the implementation of the Internet of Things (2019). However, as technological advancements take precedence in the American mindset, equal access to healthcare is set aside. The reason for this is that any medical breakthroughs are expensive and require a steady flow of finances. As such, the more Americans value research and development, the smaller is the prospect of the national healthcare insurance.
References
Healthcare Triage. (2014). The Healthcare System of the United States [Video]. YouTube.
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2019). Delivering health care in America: A systems approach. Burlington.
Vogenberg, F. R. (2019). US healthcare trends and contradictions in 2019. American Health & Drug Benefits, 12(1), 1-9.