US Social Healthcare: An Introduction
The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have some form of universal health care. Despite the fact that other countries have acknowledged health care to be a basic right, the United States treats health care as a benefit, only available to those who can afford it. In this sense, health care in America is treated as an economic good, not as a social or public good.
The state of health care in the United States is a dishonor. For millions of Americans it is a struggle between life, health and money. The United States spends far more on health care than any other country in the world, yet ranks only 37th in the general quality of health care it provides, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not provide universal health care. More than 44.3 million Americans have no health insurance, and tens of millions more are underinsured. Private corporations pay less than 20% of health costs. As a result, even if you have insurance, you may not be able to afford the care you need, and some treatments may not be covered at all.
For a family living on the edge economically and facing the commencement of a serious illness or disabling injury, a lack of health insurance can cause insolvency or even homelessness. Homelessness only leads to more health care problems a world of poor cleanliness, communicable diseases, and exposure to the elements, violence, and emotional trauma. Studies by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine find that the homeless are far more likely to suffer from chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and asthma.............
