Many employees look for good health insurance among their competitors. Although many big companies offer competitive health insurance, many small companies lag. There are varying reasons for this, such as cost, convenience, and lack of support from the government. As a result, those that work for such companies are forced to pay for private health insurance at increased rates. This is a growing problem that needs to be addressed.
A decent percentage of the US population isn’t insured. Moreover, despite being a country with one of the highest employment rates globally, many of its employees are under-insured. This is a growing problem in a company plagued by chronic and genetic diseases.
It’s estimated that 34 million Americans have diabetes. Another 30 million have heart diseases. So the number goes on and on when we talk about these kinds of diseases. The US is well-known to be a country where dreams come true, but with its current health system, it seems that it’s a place where people can die while still accruing debt from the grave.
We all want a better healthcare system—one that is fair and affordable. Here are various ways the US can make healthcare better US.
Universal Healthcare
Universal healthcare is something that many people in Congress have been fighting for but struggled to start. This is an excellent solution in making healthcare better in the US.
Arguably, healthcare should be a number one priority in countries like the US. It helps negate the financial problems that come with healthcare. Once that is negated, people can then use their money or savings towards investments into the countries infrastructure and economy.
However, universal healthcare in the US seems impossible to attain despite these reasons. Too many think that such a bill would ruin the country’s democratic and capitalistic ideals. With this in mind, we can talk about the following solution in improving the country’s healthcare.
Better Healthcare Coverage
Okay, maybe we can’t strive for universal healthcare in a country dominated by giant corporations. What’s the next alternative, then? We suggest is to have better healthcare coverage.
Health insurance is expensive in the US. People are already spending five times the asking price of health insurance in other countries like Canada and Sweden. What’s worse is that the coverage is minimal compared to these other countries. To deal with the expensive healthcare problem, and given that we can’t decrease its price through universal healthcare, we can widen healthcare coverage.
There are various ways we can do this. For example, we can add dental care to health insurance or a senior benefit such as home nursing care. These are all viable options to increase healthcare quality without changing the price. We can also try adding lifestyle benefits such as free gym memberships or, better yet, an allowance for physical activities.
These can make healthcare a lot better without disrupting the status quo. Since we’re already talking about healthcare coverage, it’s time we talk about unnecessary ride-on.
Remove Unnecessary Ride-on
We all know the saying that it’s better to be safe than sorry. However, when being safe requires you to spend thousands of dollars on lab tests that won’t determine anything about your current health situation, then you’re going to be sorry.
Unnecessary lab tests are way too common in packages offered by healthcare providers. Worse of it all is that providers can sweet-talk their way into letting clients get these lab tests.
Doctors should have a say when it comes to these situations, and they should be able to say no if a patient does not need a particular lab test.
Reduce Administrative Costs
If we want to make healthcare a lot more affordable, then it’s time we reduce or completely remove administrative costs in healthcare facilities. By doing so, we can reduce the costs of health insurance and medical bills.
Financial studies have shown that administrative costs take up a chunk of healthcare expenses. Although administrative costs are unavoidable in different industries, such costs shouldn’t exist within the healthcare sector, or if it is allowed to exist, it should be under minimal costs.
Various government agencies should strive hard to remove or at least reduce administrative costs in the country. This should reduce the costs of medical bills and debt within the country.
The Bottom Line
Healthcare is essential for every country to develop. However, it can be challenging to address certain problems in the system. But by following a specific set of ideals, such as the ones we’ve mentioned above, healthcare providers and companies can make healthcare better in the US.