The Irony that is Healthcare

It’s no secret that a majority of Americans are disillusioned with the healthcare system in our country – they think they are covered only to find out to their shock that they’re rejected by their insurance company because they’re not able to pay their exorbitantly and atrociously hiked premiums. There is no reason provided for the hike, and very often, the supposedly new and improved policy is no better than the one they signed up for and thought they could afford. When you’re dropped because you cannot afford to meet the new premium price, what happens to all the money you have paid your insurance company so far, especially if you haven’t claimed any of it as medical expenses? They don’t return it to you, they don’t offer you a concession based on the fact that you haven’t undergone any form of medical treatment, and they don’t care that you are now left without cover. How fair is this when it’s your money that fills their coffers in the first place?
And even if you could afford to pay the higher premiums, there’s no guarantee that you would be able to afford the kind of healthcare you deserve if and when you fall sick. Many people find that they cannot afford the cost of prescription drugs even though they’re covered by insurance. They’re unable to find generic equivalents and because they don’t qualify for free aid programs like PAP (patient assistance program), they’re left at a loose end. They may resort to buying drugs off the Internet because it’s cheaper even though they cannot verify their authenticity; they may buy fewer pills than required because that’s all they can afford, a move that totally negates the efficacy of the drug, or they may share a prescription with someone else who is sailing in the same boat, again, not the wisest of things to do.
The saddest part of all this is that if you take the effort to stay healthy by doing all the right things like eating healthy food, working out regularly and keeping your weight down, you save yourself from disease and ill-health. But on the downside, you still have to pay your insurance company every month or every year, and that’s literally money down the drain. Isn’t it ironic when you consider the fact that you would prefer to fall sick, just so you could utilize the premiums you’ve paid to your insurance company?
The problem with this country’s healthcare system is that those who can afford healthcare even without insurance are pushing up the cost for ordinary folks who can barely make ends meet. The demand for newer and more innovative medical techniques and drugs sends the cost of healthcare soaring, and with the insurance companies keen to cash in on this, it’s the average Joe who ends up having to choose between eating and a roof over his head and getting quality medical care – isn’t that a delicious irony too?

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This guest post is contributed by Shannon Wills, she writes on the topic of physical therapy assistant schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com.