The Costs of Corruption

When you or someone close to you becomes sick, the first thing on everyone’s mind is to find a way to get better. Whether going to the doctor, getting rest, or just pushing through the sickness to deal with it, however, in today’s world, not everyone can see a doctor due to the corruptness of the US healthcare system. Many people prefer not to go to the doctor for many reasons. From the absurd amount of money these doctors are asking for, only a thirty-minute appointment, to the accessibility of these doctors to the everyday person. Why should Americans have to worry about the accessibility and money troubles of the healthcare system, while many other countries have free healthcare for all citizens? This is the best option for the US to have free healthcare, but that is not the case and will most likely never be.

It all comes down to corruption. The US healthcare system is corrupt, which causes many of these issues that cause many Americans to be at a loss. The corruption of the US healthcare system is due to many different factors. One is the political aspect of healthcare. To explain simply and efficiently, the government and political parties that have a say in our healthcare system are mostly money-driven. The economy is considered the most important, so the healthcare system has high costs. These high costs affect the ordinary American citizen every day, whether through yearly doctor visits or life-threatening surgeries. The article “Examining quality and efficiency of the US healthcare system” by Kumar S, Ghildayal, N.S, and Shah, R.N states, “The US healthcare system is characterized as the world’s most expensive yet least effective compared with other nations. Growing healthcare costs have made millions of citizens vulnerable.” Due to the corruption of the US healthcare system from the political point of view, the costs of necessary doctor visits are being taken away from Americans. 

Many Americans are trying to find another way other than going to their primary doctor for visits, which are seen to cost more than other options that have recently been new to the US. One of these options is urgent care. Urgent care is one of the new and most popular ways Americans today use to save money when they are sick or need medical attention. Even though urgent care still costs more than it should or is compared to free healthcare in other countries. It is still seen as a better option for many Americans who may have little money or don’t have insurance/access to a primary doctor. Some may say these urgent cares aren’t as good as primary doctors; however, they are becoming increasingly popular. As stated in the article, “Urgent Care Utilization Skyrocketed by 1725% in Last Decade” by Thomas Beaton, “Payers spent an average $294 for a 30-minute primary care office visit compared to the $255 amount in urgent care centers.” These high costs for a thirty-minute doctor visit are unbelievable. Yes, there isn’t much or a difference between urgent care costs and primary doctor costs. However, many Americans who go to the primary doctor are not paying the total price. They are not paying $255 for a doctor’s visit because most of these Americans have insurance that covers most of the payment for a doctor’s visit. While most Americans using urgent care do not have insurance, $294 is the best option for them. 

References 

(n.d.). Urgent Care Center Utilization Skyrocketed by 1725% in Last Decade. Healthpayerintelligence.com. https://healthpayerintelligence.com/news/urgent-care-center-utilization-skyrocketed-by-1725-in-last-decade

Kumar, S., Ghildayal, N.S. and Shah, R.N. (2011), “Examining quality and efficiency of the US healthcare system”, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 366-388. https://doi.org/10.1108/09526861111139197