| Description |
The present American health care system is definitely in a crisis. Americans can receive the best medical care in the world--if they can afford it. Due to escalating costs in the last 50 years, many people can no longer afford to pay for doctors and hospitals out of their own pockets. Health insurance evolved so that people could share the risk by pooling their premiums. It was first intended to cover catastrophic illnesses, but gradually insurance policies began to include surgeries, office visits, and prescriptions. Today, approximately 37 million Americans have no health insurance, 5 million of which are considered uninsurable due to "preexisting conditions," and another 17-18 million are under-insured. This indicates the present health insurance system has priced almost 25% of Americans out of health insurance, and thus out of basic health care. |
