www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2024/1...-failing-its-people/
t
he United States doesn’t provide universal healthcare care coverage to its citizens like Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, and other countries in the Global North. Employer-sponsored health insurance is the golden handcuffs that keep many people hostage—eHealthInsurance reported that as of 2022, 78% of the U.S. population was eligible for health insurance through their employer. Those who change or lose their job, part-time and gig-based workers, and seasonal employees are more likely to have gaps in their insurance coverage.
It's clear how broken America’s healthcare system is. How can the system be reimagined for greater accessibility and equity? First, it’s important to fight against the repealing of the ACA. While Trump’s stance on the ACA has been conflicting, it’s likely that under a second Trump presidency, the ACA subsidies implemented under the Biden administration will be eliminated, which will result in increases in premium payments. The data is clear—expanding healthcare access through health insurance is linked to more positive health outcomes. Gaps in healthcare coverage results in poorer health outcomes, so there must be efforts made to ensure Americans are covered and that they do not have to pay astronomical costs for their monthly premiums.
[
Expanding Medicaid coverage can also improve healthcare outcomes for Americans. Cost continues to be a major barrier to healthcare coverage in the United States. According to American Medical Association (AMA), gains in health insurance coverage were the result of “the implementation of enhanced subsidies for ACA exchange marketplace plans, the continuous enrollment provision of Medicaid, several recent state Medicaid expansions, and improvements in enrollment outreach.”
Another way to transform America’s failing healthcare system is to address the high rate of insurance claim denials. Many have taken to social media to discuss their experiences with America’s healthcare system and how an insurance claim denial impacted them or their family member. Many health insurance companies including UnitedHealth, Cigna, and Humana, have been sued for using faulty artificial intelligence models to wrongfully deny health insurance claims, without a physician’s review or against a doctor’s medical judgement. According to a ProPublica report, insurer denial rates are shrouded in mystery and there is a lack of transparency regarding why an insurance company rejects recommended care. Transforming the broken system should include requiring regulators to require insurers to reveal how often they deny claims and provide more specificity as to why.
The increased conversations around inequities within the country’s healthcare system can make way for g
reat improvements. In addition to pushing back against the repeal of the ACA, expanding Medicaid coverage, addressing faulty AI algorithms used to review insurance claims, and providing more transparency around claim denial, healthcare providers should also offer education and support around equitable care to address health disparities. Increasing access to healthcare through initiatives like mobile clinics can help underserved groups, including minoritized and vulnerable populations. In addition, telehealth services can bridge gaps in healthcare access by removing geographic barriers and could provide a comparable level of medical care as physicians.
Editorial Standards
THERE R A MULTITUDE OF REASONS FOR HIGHER H.C. COST.....PLACING BLAME ON THE D'S...DOES NOT FURTHER THE DISCUSSIONS OF HOW WE GOT HERE AND HOW TO REMEDY THE CHAOS.
FIRST OFF IS UNNECESSARY IMAGINING AND OPTIONAL PROCEDURES THAT R OFFERED,BECAUSE OMG, IF THE DOCTOR DID NOT SUGGEST/PERFORM THIS OPTION HE HAS TO CYA...SECOND...THE FAMILIES THAT SAYS 'do everything to keep HIM with us"....WHEN IN REALITY , IT IS A FRUITLESS FEAT OF FAILURE....HE/SHE IS NOT GOING TO SURVIVE AND THE ACCEPTANCE OF THAT FACT IS LOST ON THE FAMILY. BIG BUCKS OUT THE DOOR TO ACHIEVE
FAILURE AND WHO EATS THAT ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNT???? IN THE END U DO...BECAUSE THE INS. COMP PASSES ON THE COST.
WHY DO OTHER COUNTRIES SEE QUALITY OF HEALTH AS A PARAMOUNT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE AND WE, IN AMERICA, BECOME OBESE AND REQUIRE MANY MEDS AND SURGERIES?
?...IT'/S CALLED GREED AND GIVE ME A SLICE OF THE ACTION....ALL ASPECTS OF THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY HAVE THEIR PALMS OUTSPREAD AND EXPECT THEIR FINANCIAL RETURN.
DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON ALGORITHMS AND A.I. BEING USED TO DENY ADEQUATE AND NEEDED CARE. .....THE MICRO VIEW UTILIZED IN THE OP IS DISHEARTENING AND DOES NOT
FULLY GRASP THE COMPLEXITY OF THE H.C. SYSTEM......
