The healthcare system in the United States is not one treated or built on the idea of necessity. 

Rather, it is treated as a luxury service.

1 in 10 Americans do not have health insurance. This severely disadvantages their ability to obtain various medical services, especially without having to worry about affordability. 

In the event of a health crisis, or even just a basic illness, uninsured Americans are forced to make impossible decisions. They’re forced to choose to stick it out or go to the doctor and pay for the entire visit out-of-pocket, go to the emergency room and pay the entirety of a hefty ER bill or risk their symptoms getting worse, risk their health or pay hundreds of dollars for the medication they need…the list doesn’t end there.

It’s not just individuals that are uninsured who have to worry about this either. Many insured Americans are required to pay a deductible, or a certain amount of money, before their insurance kicks in and covers health services. This can be thousands of dollars. On top of that, they also must pay a monthly premium to keep their insurance and pay an out-of-pocket amount, called a co-pay, for certain services and medications. 

These high costs deter those in need from seeking out medical care. 

In 2021, 27 percent of uninsured adults and seven percent of insured adults delayed getting or did not seek medical care at all due to cost. Additionally, six percent of adults rationed their prescribed medication due to cost and five percent reported not getting their medication at all. These numbers also include insulin users, of which 1 in 6 reported rationing their insulin due to its price. 

How can we consider our healthcare system a healthcare system when people are forced to make decisions like these?

Notoriously, the healthcare system also leaves millions of Americans in medical debt.

Over 100 million Americans have medical debt, which disproportionately affects marginalized groups. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports that one in five Americans are affected by the $88 billion in collections of outstanding medical bills.

Insured or not, the healthcare system in the United States is made for those who can afford it, not for those who can’t.

Americans should not be made to choose whether or not to get medical care out of fear of not being able to pay the bill. 

Healthcare should be treated as a basic need, not something only those with coverage or the means are able to receive.