Some time ago, I wrote two posts entitled “Why is Healthcare so Expensive?”. In those posts, I went over how difficult it can be to get mental health services and some of my medical costs as a person with a chronic condition and mental illness. You can read part one here. You can read part two here.
For those who are new to my blog, I live in the United States. Here in the USA, healthcare can be quite costly. A three day stay in the hospital can run you around $30,000. A woman usually stays in the hospital between 24 hours to four days after giving birth. My own mother stayed in the hospital for around three days after having me. That’s where health insurance comes in. In order to have insurance, you have to pay what is called a premium. This is the payment to the insurance company to keep your insurance active, which is usually a monthly payment. My insurance plan covers the costs of my doctor visits and medication bills completely, but that is not the case for most Americans.
For many Americans, there is a copayment. For a doctor appointment, one family member of mine had to pay over $700 in copayment. Another family member recently renewed her insurance plan, and she has to pay around $1,100 in medical bills before her insurance even kicks in. This is called a deductible.
Healthcare is big business here in the United States, with the health insurance business valuing at $1.60 trillion. In 2023, 25.3 million people were uninsured between the ages of 0 to 64. Among those uninsured, 63 percent of people between the ages of 18 to 64 cited not being able to afford insurance as the reason for being uninsured.
There are two services I have always believed all people should be entitled to: good education and good healthcare. A healthy and educated nation makes a strong nation. I believe we as a nation need to do more to help the citizens have better access to healthcare.
Life with Charli 