A Love Letter about Health Care

Dear Republicans:

I am going to hold you responsible for every single death that results from lack of health care if your catastrophe of a bill passes.

Remember facts? Those pesky things! Read on. You can do it!

I really love health care! And, life. Life.
V

FACT SHEET ON THE HEALTH CARE DELIMMA

Health care is a moral issue:

 “The issue of universal coverage is not a matter of economics. Little more than 1% of GDP assigned to health could cover all. It is a matter of soul.” (amsa.org)

There are 18,000 excess deaths for people between age 25-64 per year because of lack of insurance and health care.  (amsa.org)

Our friends, neighbors, and family are suffering:  emotionally and financially.  (amsa.org)

The United States of America is the only developed country in the world that sees health care as a privilege and not a right. (amsa.org)

The US treats health care as a product – an economic product – and, not as a social good.

(amsa.org)

Who are the uninsured?

80% of the 45 million who don’t have insurance and health care – or it isn’t adequate – are employed or from working families.  (pbs.org)

How does lack of insurance or under-insurance affect the lives of our fellow Americans?

The uninsured are more likely not to fill their prescriptions. (amsa.org)

They are more likely to pay more. (amsa.org)

The uninsured are more likely to have difficulty getting medical care. (amsa.org)

More than half of the uninsured postpone medical care for financial reasons.  (amsa.org)

Over 1/3 do not have recommended medical tests or treatments because they cannot afford it.

40% of our uninsured do not have a regular source for medical care. (amsa.org)

20% of those without insurance get their care from and ER while only 3% of those with insurance use an emergency room for regular care. (amsa.org)

The uninsured are 50% less likely to receive preventive care.  (amsa.org)

The uninsured are far more likely to be diagnosed late and begin treatment late.  (amsa.org)

Health insurance and health care have become unaffordable for Americans.

Health insurance premiums have been rising at a rate of increase that is 2-3 times the rate of inflation. (amsa.org)

These costs have led to a large increase in the number of people without health insurance and without health care. (amsa.org)

Before the ACA, 45 million people were without health insurance and millions more had insufficient insurance. (amsa.org)

More and more middle class Americans are unable to afford insurance and have no access to health care. (amsa.org)

Fewer and fewer employers provide insurance to their employees. (amsa.org)

There is a trend for employers to provide insurance with higher deductibles that cover fewer and fewer medical expenses.  (amsa.org)

As fewer employers provide insurance, more people turn to Medicaid – the safety net – but there are constant cuts to Medicaid funding.  (amsa.org)

There is vast room for improvement in quality of health care, in delivery, and in cost cutting in the USA.

The USA spends $8,233 per person per year. (pbs.org)

Our health care budget eats up 17.6 percent of our GDP.  (pbs.org)

We spend more than 2 ½ times what most other developed countries spend.

(pbs.org)

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development:

The USA has fewer practicing doctors/population than most other OECD countries.

We have fewer hospital beds/person than other developed nations.

Our hospital stays are shorter – yet, our costs are much higher.

Our life expectancy is one year less than other OECD countries.

Life expectancy in the USA increased by almost nine years between 1960 and 2010. There was an increase of over 15 years in Japan.

Other countries use a common fee schedule, but in the USA how much a health care clinic or hospital gets paid depends on the kind of insurance a patient has. 

(pbs.org)

Providers can choose which patients they will and won’t see based on insurance.

U.S. payment rates are less flexible than those in other countries: They can address increases in costs easier and faster.

The USA has fewer methods for cost containment because our for-profit insurance companies find it easier to pass on the costs than to negotiate with providers – doctors and clinics. (pbs.org)

We spend three times as much on administrative costs than France does.

Our hospital costs are higher than other countries – it isn’t that we deliver more hospital services. (pbs.org)

The quality of care in hospitals in other countries is a good as in the US and they are still able to attract people to health care professions. (pbs.org)

Many common procedures cost far more in the US than in other countries with comparable quality of care. (pbs.org)

Why does the health care cost so much more in the US?

U.S. doctors make far more money than in other countries.

We use more expensive diagnostic procedures.

No organization has a motivation to cut waste – from insurance companies to clinics to doctors: this is a for-profit industry.

The US does more testing and more expensive testing than other countries and performs more of some procedures.

Providers make more money the more that they test, treat, prescribe, etc.

“The uninsured are more likely to receive poor care for chronic diseases.” Living and dying thus are determined by financial status. (pbs.org)

The Case for Universal Health Care

There are costs of not having UHC:

Fewer years of participation in the workforce. (amsa.org)

“The annual cost of diminished health and shorter life spans of Americans without insurance is $65-$130 billion. People who do not live as long do not work and contribute to the economy as long.” (amsa.org)

Developmental delays for children without health care. (amsa.org)

“Medicare, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and the criminal justice system have higher costs than they would if there were universal coverage.” (amsa.org)  (amsa.org)

There is a cost to communities that have more uninsured people (poor communities): Providers leave, reduce staff, or relocate and there is less availability of health care. (amsa.org)

Emergency rooms are over-burdened and the insured and uninsured suffer from lack of availability Some ER’s shut down. Some reduce capacity. (amsa.org)

Lack of health care facilities in areas with high uninsurance rates weakens the local economy. (amsa.org)

“Communities with high rates of uninsurance have less effective control of communicable disease (e.g. less vaccinations, less surveillance of TB) and an overall greater disease burden in general.” (amsa.org)

Unnecessary use of ER’s is a financial burden. It is estimated that over 10% of ER visits are for non-emergencies, costing the health care system billions of dollars. (amsa.org)

The under-insured and uninsured don’t get the preventative and maintenance care that they need are more likely to need more expensive care later. (amsa.org)

Lack of Universal Health Care results in “job-lock” (people who have insurance through a job cannot afford to leave) and people may not be able to retire because they cannot get or cannot afford insurance. (amsa.org)

Lack of health insurance and health care stops people from opening their own businesses. There is an “entrepreneur” cost. (amsa.org)

The employer based health insurance system in the USA puts tremendous strain on businesses. (amsa.org)

And, the costs of insuring employees is added in to the cost of products making USA made products more expensive. (amsa.org)

 “In summary, the cost of universal health care would be at least $34-$69 billion, plus whatever costs are associated with covering out-of-pocket expenses and uncompensated care for the uninsured. Specific solutions may entail additional expenses as well, depending on their design parameters.” (amsa.org)

But, “The issue of universal coverage is not a matter of economics. Little more than 1% of GDP assigned to health could cover all. It is a matter of soul.” (amsa.org)

SOURCES:

https://www.amsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/CaseForUHC.pdf

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries/

http://kff.org/uninsured/fact-sheet/ke