You find yourself once again in a fluorescent-lit room, across from a doctor who will give you only possible reasons you’re experiencing the pain you’re in. You don’t know what worries you more, the thought that the pain you’re in is an unwelcome guest at the front door of your life , or the fact that your mother paid an astronomical amount for you to only receive uncertainty from a supposed, “well-educated” professional. You don’t know which makes you more sick. For many Americans, a scenario like this is all too common. The wellness of Americans is being threatened by their own healthcare system. America pays more for healthcare and prescription fulfilment than any other country. The thought might be, “Well, with such a high price the system must be the best.” However, America’s system comes in, “Dead last.” (Rook 1) compared to other countries
The system in America makes money off of how much care they provide, not how good the care they provide is. “Take the example of prescribing antibiotics for acute bronchitis. Researchers have known for decades that this isn’t an effective treatment, but nearly three-quarters of doctors do so anyway.” (Kliff 60). Physicians are paid for every prescription you have and every test you have done. So how is it that you can trust what they’re saying you need? This is the problem people run into with the system in America. If you stop being sick, they stop getting money. Two-hundred and ten billion dollars was spent on unnecessary procedures in America last year alone.
Modern healthcare is said to be more dangerous than medieval healthcare processes. Rook states that,”at least 44,000 patients – and as many as 98,000 – die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors.” (Rook 47). Using the low side of those numbers still means that less people die from HIV/AIDS and vehicle related accidents than die in hospitals every year. People who are afraid of going to the doctor have good reason to be, multiple hospitals in the United States have failed inspection and have had government funding pulled. Many people say the reason these hospitals fail inspection is because of overcrowding in surrounding cities. However, this is no reason for hospital cleanliness to be “subpar” (Kehoe 4).
Healthcare In America can be described as, overpriced, untrustworthy, and lazy. Doctors prescribe medication for illnesses they know won’t fix anything. The price of healthcare has finally stopped rising so quickly, ”Spending on retail prescription drugs was $333.4 billion, up 0.4%, which is the slowest growth rate since 2012. The reason for that is more people are taking generic drugs…”(Kincaid 6). People are choosing price over quality. And they aren’t to be blamed for that. Many people are choosing to take substances still illegal in many states in America because they cannot afford other medications for their ailments. The healthcare system in America has threatened the well-being of its users and forced them to find new ways to get rid of their pain.
