We heard a lot from Anna Sinaiko. Specifically, we discussed the following questions: 

• The U.S. Health System as a market

• How is our health system currently structured? What forms of health insurance exist and who is covered? 

• Why is our health system structured the way it is?

• How does the U.S. health system compare to other developed countries?

• What are the benefits of universal health insurance coverage?

• What are the major pain points for health care consumers in the U.S.?

• What is Medicare For All?

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When analyzing health systems, we learned that Anna asks three questions: 

 

1.) Do people have health insurance, 2.) what does that health insurance cost, and 3.) what does it cost to receive healthcare? In the U.S., the cost of healthcare is much higher than in other high-income countries, and not all Americans have health insurance and/or access to healthcare.

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We also learned that there are many reasons why a person might support universal health coverage: 

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1.) From a self-motivated perspective, a person might lose their job at any time and be left without health insurance and/or no longer have the ability to pay for their healthcare. This, in turn, can result in a person not seeking healthcare when they need it or that care becoming 'free care.'  

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2.) U.S. law requires hospitals and emergency rooms to take care of every person regardless of their ability to afford the care they receive or their insurance status. This means that if someone is unable to pay for their healthcare, public funds will be used to pay for what is referred to as 'free care'. Another word for public funds is taxes. 

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3.) Many people believe that there should be a minimum standard of healthcare available to people and that this standard actually makes people better off financially, socially, emotionally, and psychologically. 

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Anna points out that the U.S. healthcare system was built incrementally and haphazardly. She discusses why providing health insurance coverage to the uninsured actually leads to people feeling better, lowering their depression, and reducing their levels of stress.

 

For people with insurance, they too are worried about the rising costs of healthcare, high deductibles, and their inability to afford their healthcare premiums. In rural areas, access to care is of immediate concern. Rural families are struggling to find providers. More and more doctors are choosing not to practice in rural areas.  

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Definitions: 

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Employer-Sponsored Insurance refers to health insurance obtained through an employer—the most common way Americans get insurance. Traditionally, Employers will pay the majority of health insurance premiums while employees will pay a modest portion; however, most of the healthcare premium paid by the employer comes at the determinant of increased wages. 

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Non-group insurance refers to health insurance obtained through a healthcare marketplace where individuals and families purchase health insurance plans. These individuals are traditionally unemployed, self-employed, or their employer does not offer insurance. Subsidies exist to support individuals not eligible for public programs to afford insurance coverage. 

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Medicaid refers to health insurance for eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities. 

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Medicare refers to health insurance for elderly adults over the age of 65 years. 

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Other Public Insurance programs refer to benefits for veterans, children, Native Americans, and others.