Non-profit healthcare, anyone?
It’s been 12 years since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). While much of the reporting by media outlets across the country focused on the progress achieved through the ACA, very few mentioned the stark reality that millions of Americans are still experiencing a health care cost crisis. Consider the following:
• A recent, large scale survey found that 44 percent of Americans are having difficulty paying for health care.
• An estimated 30 million Americans have no health insurance.
• 67 percent of voters think lowering health care costs should be a top priority for Congress and the President.
• Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in America.
• Over 25 percent of all funds raised on the popular crowdfunding website GoFundMe are for medical bills.
Think about that last bullet point for a minute. Americans are literally begging for money to pay for their health care bills in what is regarded the richest country in the history of humanity.
Along with the online fundraising, almost all of us have been invited to or participated in a local benefit to help pay the medical bills of a neighbor -- people coming together to organize a spaghetti dinner, a silent raffle, or a musical event to raise money to defray those health care costs. While it’s a testament to the core goodness of people to want to help, we know it’s almost always never enough.
The primary goals of the Affordable Care Act were to achieve universal health insurance coverage and bring down the costs of health care. The bad news is that it hasn’t worked on either front. Endlessly tweaking and fixing it isn’t going to address our fundamental problems. The good news is that there are healthcare systems worldwide that show us how to realize the intended goals of the ACA, if we would only follow their example.
Countries as politically and culturally diverse as Israel, South Korea, Canada, Taiwan and Norway all guarantee their citizens basic health care coverage through a non-profit, national health insurance system, as do a host of other countries globally. All of these systems have their flaws, but they achieve a pair of crucial, humane aims: guaranteeing everyone basic healthcare and preventing financial ruin.
This isn’t a politically partisan issue, and it’s a national disgrace that our elected officials treat it as such. Illnesses and injuries happen to everyone. No one should put off seeking necessary health care because they cannot afford it. No one should suffer financial ruin because they did seek care.
It’s time for Congress and the President to put aside their political and ideological warfare and do what’s best for all Americans by creating a national, non-profit health insurance system that guarantees a basic level of coverage for everyone that will reduce health care costs. We all deserve it.
Steve Carlson, Co-chair Richard McGowan, M.D., Co-chair Lisa Jo Hubacher, Secretary
Our Wisconsin Revolution Health Care Committee
