Healthcare in the United States: A Broken System Defended by Ignorance
It always shocks me when so many people defend the healthcare system in the United States of America. The idea that one’s health insurance should be tied to one’s employer, thereby putting all decision-making in the hands of that employer, who is very rarely putting the needs of its employees over the company’s bottom line. This practice is defended by so many that I cannot help but wonder if they have ever had health insurance that their employer did not provide. Or can it be that all of those people work for companies that put their employees’ healthcare needs over profits?
Among the capitalist ideas of the United States, why is health insurance not something that people are free to choose their own, selecting from numerous plans instead of having one chosen for them? And I do not consider a selection of three or four plans from an employer to be an actual choice — you are still forced to go with the same provider, and you cannot shop around for better prices or better coverage. Why can we choose something as simple as a brand of shoes, but we have limited or no option when it comes to a plan that will affect our health and well-being?
The Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA for short) was enacted in March 2010. Under this new law, individuals…
