Hassan 1

Ali Hassan

Issue Paper

LA&S 494

25 January 2022

Healthcare: Is the Healthcare System We Currently have Sufficient?

The issue I am analyzing is the Healthcare system and the infrastructure around it.

Meaning, the insurance policies for Medicare and Medicaid as well as the economic cost of using

the Healthcare system in the United States. The disciplines I choose were Health Policy and

Economics. Economics is a discipline that pertains to this situation because Healthcare is an

extremely lucrative business for pharmaceutical companies and hospital administrators. The

issue with this is that, as they are getting their pockets filled by patients. These patients who have

medical conditions, are overcharged for using the healthcare system and purchasing their

prescriptions. Some of the people in the country try their best to avoid going to clinic because

they know they cannot afford it. Health Policy is the other discipline which is involved with this

issue. It is related to this main issue of how the actual architecture of the healthcare system is

built. Rather than Healthcare being a universal right, it is approached with a business mind which

capitalizes off patients’ conditions and illnesses.

When it comes to the Healthcare in ‘long-form’ journalism it is a touchy subject. The

issue itself is very complex, and it comes back to the main motifs of the country which is the

“American Dream.” This message is that anyone can achieve anything within this country if they

have the drive to do so, which is not true and to be frank has never been true. In the article “Is
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Health Care a Right?” by Gawande and Gladwell published by The New Yorker in 2017. What

was seen was the complexities of the healthcare system firsthand, as well as it is failing citizens

in need. A woman, remained unnamed, relied on her husband for coverage for her treatment. She

was eventually diagnosed with chronic-fatigue syndrome and depression and became addicted to

opioids (Gawande & Gladwell, 2017). Soon later, her husband had blacked out and fell down

two sets of stairs (Gawande & Gladwell, 2017). This resulted them in needing to file for

bankruptcy because they could no longer afford all the medications and treatments both needed

to undergo (Gawande & Gladwell, 2017). In this anecdote, it showcases how this healthcare

system had failed them, because this couple were not even eligible for Medicaid, since their

household income was above the threshold. Furthermore, what was seen was that husband did

not fully support the idea of the government aiding them with Medicaid. Though, he said “I see

people on the same road I live on who have never worked a lick in their life, they’re living on

disability incomes (Gawande & Gladwell, 2017).” This also contradicts the claim that healthcare

should be for all. Though, it showcases that both the citizens and the companies partake in the

loopholes which perpetuates the disparity of good healthcare across the country. In addition, to

the healthcare system failing its patrons, the healthcare policy itself needs major reform.

Healthcare policy has remained stagnant for many years. Although we have had

introduction of flashy policy changes like “Obama Care” the status quo has remained relatively

the same. In the following article called “Help Slate Track the ‘Medicare isn't Government’

Meme” by Timothy Noah published in 2009 by Slate. What was seen was the lack of desire to

promote healthcare reform. Citizens in the United States are disgruntled by the government

trying to incite healthcare reform. Though in reality the government is not promoting much
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reform. Healthcare policies like Medicare should not be financed and regulated by the

government (Noah, 2009). This meme of “don’t touch my Medicare” is incited by the American

citizens where they indulge in “fantasies of victimization by others (Noah, 2009.” What this

article is showcasing is the lack of initiative done by the government to keep the American

citizens content with subpar standards. This ties both healthcare policy and economic principles

into this, because this is a capitalist country. The policy makers do not want to incite change in

healthcare policy because the system setup currently for them is highly lucrative.

I am personally interested in this issue because I want to go to medical school. And to see

the corruption of the Healthcare system to suit the economic needs of the top one percent makes

me upset. Another reason why I am interested in this subject, is because I believe if we can

separate healthcare from state the current state of healthcare would be much more different. With

the introduction of blockchain technology (peer-to-peer) which gets rid of useless slow

intermediaries in centralized systems, people would be able to get access to healthcare at a much

more affordable price and receive the quality treatment they deserve. I believe other people

should be interested in this issue as well because it affects all of us in this country. By peeling

back, the layers people will realize that the government do not have their best interest in mind,

both the political parties desire to make more money from US citizens.
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Works Cited:

Gawande, A., & Gladwell, M. (2017, September 25). Is Health Care a Right? newyorker.com.

Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/02/is-

health-care-a-right

Noah, T. (2009, August 5). Help slate track the "Medicare isn't government" meme. Slate

Magazine. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/08/help-slate-track-the-medicare-isn-t-

government-meme.html