Monday, January 19, 2009

Expense Makes Health Insurance Unaffordable

By Ethan Kalvin

The continued skyrocketing of the costs of health insurance coverage is now completely out of the reach of millions of citizens. Promises of medical advancements that will keep us alive longer mean nothing if we can't afford to buy the cure. The chasm between those who can and can't afford health care is growing, and many wonder when it will all stop.

High health care costs are debilitating for many. But just as big a problem is the fact that many don't understand how health insurance components work and how we can make them work for us. Many don't understand the deductible system, and how or when it resets itself. Many can't describe the difference between a PPO and an HMO. The expenses alone are enough to distract us, but the fact that there doesn't seem to be a place to go to sort it all out and get clear answers is even worse.

It is an understood fact that before drugs and medical equipment can be released to the market, it must be thoroughly tested by the FDA. Most of us expect medical procedures to cost a lot, but we also feel like they are costing too much and there's some unfairness there. Meanwhile, insurance companies seem to be getting richer and richer. More medications available on the market means doctors will prescribe them. And more than ever before, those prescriptions are for antidepressants.

The amount of new drugs being produced is almost laughable. Do the same ingredients really need so many different names? Escaping these new medications is nearly impossible. All one must do is turn on a TV, listen to a radio or surf the internet; there will likely be an advertisement for the latest personality change in pill form. Each drug comes with a list of possible side effects that will probably, in the end, cost more of our dollars just to treat the new conditions we have acquired from taking them.

Tens of millions of Americans are struggling to pay for health care. We want to take care of our bodies mentally and physically, but it is becoming more and more difficult. We seem to have let this basic necessity slip through our hands. Too many simply can not pay for health care, and therefore don't have it. Resolving that health care is not available to us has unfortunately become an acceptable norm. And that is not acceptable. - 15224

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