I stopped by my doctor’s office today. It was actually a pretty pleasant visit. A few years ago I got pretty sick and over many months of appointments, I developed a nice relationship with my doctor. So I don’t mind occasionally going in for checkups, as it’s an opportunity to catch up with a person that feels a bit like an old friend.
But she and I both know this relationship could end as quickly as it began. For if I were to switch jobs and get health insurance that her office does not accept, I would have to find a new doctor.
When I talk with people from other countries, I find one of the things they think is mystifying about the United States is our health coverage system.
The United States spends about 16 percent of the country’s gross domestic product on health care, significantly more per capita than any other nation. It is the only industrialized country that does not mandate access to health insurance for all citizens. But that does not mean that there is no government assistance – the poor and elderly are eligible for government insurance. And no hospital can turn away a patient needing emergency treatment.
Most Americans receive health insurance at a subsidized cost through their employers, and polls show most are happy with the insurance they have through this system. (I am one of those people happy with the insurance I have.) Yet many Americans acknowledge there is room for improvement.
President Obama has frequently referred to the U.S. health care system as “broken.” Congressional leaders in the House of Representatives say they aim to have a health care reform bill passed by the end of July.
Feel like you’ve heard about this story before? One of the reasons for this debate, which dates back to around World War II, is that there is no national consensus on how health care should be provided. There are disagreements over whether all Americans should be required to have health insurance and over how much of a role the government should play in providing health care.
Some people say it is the government’s responsibility to make sure their citizens have access to health services. Others say individuals need to be responsible for their own welfare. What do you think?
After practicing law for a number of years, Michael Jay Friedman returned to school and earned a doctorate in U.S. political and diplomatic history. 
Michelle Austein Brooks is a U.S. government and politics writer who has covered three national elections for America.gov. 
Peggy B. Hu defied Asian-American stereotypes in college by studying comparative literature and international relations rather than math and science. 
Stephen Kaufman is an experienced writer who has covered the White House and the State Department, and continues to report on international and democracy issues, including press freedom. 
Tanya Brothen is a blogging enthusiast who began writing for the web on a whim. Now it’s her job.
Comments (8)
ALice Phua (http://juanorandmommy.blogspot.com/
May 22, 2009 at 02:36 EDT
Permalink
I think it is fair if the goverment takes care of other aspects of healthcare and the people take care of some other aspect. For example, the government can provide free outpatient treatment or government-subsidized tretmant to all citizens who seek treatment in government-funded hospitals. On the other hand, if the citizen can afford it, the citizen themselves pay for their own health insurance. This is what that’s happening in Malaysia and am satisfied with such system.
dr d pratap patra
June 2, 2009 at 10:38 EDT
Permalink
I RULE BY MY SELF
I AM NOT A GOVT. SERVANT
I AM NOT A MINISTER
I AM NOT A SERVANT TO THE PUBLIC
I AM NOT A SERVANT TO ANY COMPANY
I EARN BY MY SELF
John Doelman
Location: Florida
July 28, 2009 at 07:50 EDT
Permalink
People with health insurance are happier if the don’t need to use it, compared with unhappy if they have to use it. It is truly simple. Insurance companies are for profit. If you are paying $200.00 per month you can’t use more than $100.00, or so, per month in benefit, or they don’t make a profit. Everyone has heard the horror stories about denied coverage. These stories are not lies, they are real. AND, they will happen to you, if you have a major problem that needs the approval of someone who is making a profit on your health. 31% of our healthcare dollars go to insurance companies.
The only way we are ever going to balance the healthcare budget and cover everyone is with a single payer system. Are we Americans so stubborn that we can’t realize this? Are we going to continue to listen to the naysayers that spout that the government can’t run anything? These are the same people that say we have the greatest military in the world… I hate to clue them that the same government runs that too.
59% of the people in this country want single payer. 59% of the physicians want it too. That sounds like a pretty big majority, and I will bet that if the remaining 41% truly understood the pros and cons of the debate, half of them would be for it too. Single payer is the only way to lower the cost of healthcare, and cover everyone. Call your congressman today.
Birdia
Location: Missouri
September 28, 2009 at 07:12 EDT
Permalink
Yes, its all about making money,John. I can’t help but to say that pharmaceuticals play alot into this factor. Some (if not all) pharmaceutical companies shorts required ingredients in their product to make more money. (Example) A patient complaints to their doctor that the medicine do not always work and the doctor increases the dosage and or precribes additional medication. this is what runs insurance companies and our Government into chrisis.
Gman
August 10, 2009 at 09:37 EDT
Permalink
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/weekend-opinionator-a-sick-debate/
August 7, 2009, 8:13 pm
Weekend Opinionator: A Sick Debate
By Tobin Harshaw
Comments:
12. August 8, 2009 1:57 am
I have lived in Europe, the USA (NYC and FLA) and currently live in Canada. I am a reasonably well-informed financial executive. I make my living as a capitalist.
I wouldn’t know where to begin re: the health care debate but I will make a couple of observations:
1. The USA has the finest health care in the world — bar none — provided that you have a no-limit gilt-edged money is no object health plan. Or you are rich. In my experience the 2 go hand in hand.
Failing such insurance or such boundless wealth how any rational human being with an IQ over 75 and an income below, say, $250k (forget the social compassion argument) could defend the existing system is beyond comprehension.
2. The outright lies — yes lies — that critics of health care reform spew is disturbing. The intentional misrepresentation of the Canadian and European models is outrageous. The Canadian model is flawed. There needs to be greater access to ‘private-delivery’ alternatives (which currently exist in some fields.) Having said that, since I returned to the province of Ontario in the late 1990’s until now the improvement in standards and care is staggering and in most cases matches anything I witnessed or experienced in NYC. Yes, health care is rationed here (hence a need for ancillary private care) but it is rationed everywhere — including the US. The exception being as per point #1 above. Per capita Ontario spends approximately 65% of what the consumers/taxpayers of the US/NY spend. However Ontario delivers 90% — or more — of the US standard. That is one very big financial/efficiency/productivity gap. That money gap goes to the US insurance companies, doctors, malpractice lawyers and lobbyists. The common canard about Canada etc is that “faceless bureaucrats make life or death decisions” (as opposed to, say, faceless HMO clerks). The truth is that in Canada the ‘gatekeepers’ who allocate critical care are the physicians themselves — the specialists.
3. Aside from private-payment plastic surgeons it is true you will not see many doctors in Canada driving a Rolls Royce. But you will see an awful lot driving a Benz or a Jag. Doctors here work hard and are well compensated. What we lack here is the concept that a medical degree should be attributed Venture Capitalist returns.
4. Lastly, a general observation/question (again, I really am a capitalist). Why is it that in the USA (a country I genuinely love) millions of people who barely make a living or are working class and/or just holding on to the ‘middle class’ are the most vocal — hysterical wouldn’t be an exaggeration — in defending the privileges of the rich and the corporate? Against their own self-interest I might add. Anywhere else in the western world the existing US health care tyranny would have people in the streets demanding reform — not ‘debating’ it.
— jon c
jeffrey
Location: nigeria Africa
August 14, 2009 at 14:55 EDT
Permalink
i believe the sincerity of purpose of the obama administration. i think it is too early to throw blames on obama and his team yet. let them work and carry the responsibly\ty of their legacy. bush started with so much approval on his foreign policies but ended up a victim of his courageous act to protect the American people. so lets give them a chance prove thier validty. congress must also put checks and oversight. that’s their responsibility, to protect the American people not stop any good from coming to them!
Colin Clark
Location: Norfolk, England
August 16, 2009 at 15:54 EDT
Permalink
The British National Health Service (NHS) may not be perfect but it is difficult to achieve the last 5 or 10 percent of anything. Also it is open to public criticism in a way that private health companies are not. In this country we are free to join private health schemes and a number of people do but private schemes have never been popular because the NHS is so good that people such as myself who could afford private insurance cover don’t see the need to do so. I used to be a design engineer and my wife a teacher before we retired. We contributed our national insurance according to our ability to pay and didn’t feel cheated that we were probably paying more than some other people. When we got into our sixties my wife developed diabetes and also had breast cancer. I developed a blocked artery in my heart. We have had wonderful care from dedicated professionals, our medication is free of cost and we are monitored all the time with reminders coming through the post and on E-Mail to attend the doctor’s surgery. The comments about UK healthcare in the US media is wrong and what is appalling is that people in US seem to believe the misinformation that they are being given - it actually amounts to lies. I suppose that the best thing about the National Health Service is that you don’t have to be worried about the financial penalties of you or any member of your family being sick or being in an accident. Everything will be taken care of by people who really care about medicine and nursing. You are not in the care of a company’s accountants.
Michelle Austein Brooks
America.gov Staff
August 17, 2009 at 11:45 EDT
Permalink
Living in the United States, it is easy for me to say that health care is a domestic issue, but I’m always amazed to see how passionate others are about American health care. I also write for a blog called Obama Today http://blogs.america.gov/obama and the comments on health care are coming from all over the world. It’s exciting to watch the political debate unfold overseas.