Looking Back After Health Insurance Reform - In Photos

April 7, 2010 |

PhotoshopHow occasionally looks at major events and relates them to our own love of editing photos - of course! Below is a look at health reform. Interspersed will be various photos from the major events in the past 18 months of bickering one might say!

H.R. 4872, our landmark health care bill has passed, but it will be years before the biggest changes to the system are enacted. Of course, people are still going bankrupt due to health care costs - and the Tar Heel State is no exception to the rule. In fact, Bureau of Labor Staistics data from the government indicates that 550,000 North Carolina residents are part of the “Education and Health Services” industry, and they rely on its largesse to support a family.

The Question Remains…

Despite all the strides that have been made in health care, the question still remains: Is health care a right or a privilege? Many believe that it is a right that every American should have access to; then again, people are required to purchase auto insurance, yet driving is considered a privilege. The rates of uninsured Americans are going up rapidly, as much as one million Americans becoming uninsured each year. This is a big problem for the U.S. and for being one of the top nations, this shouldn’t be happening. Other countries, especially in Europe have implemented national/regional health plans that offer all residents of their country health insurance, no matter their age, race or health condition. Everyone is treated equally and no one has to live with an illness or worry about not being able to afford going to the doctor.

A lot of the people in America without health insurance are those who work in the services and construction industry. They aren’t qualified as poor, so they are unable to obtain assistance from federal or state aid health programs. Approximately eighty percent of the working class is uninsured. Many of the people who do have insurance get it from their employer, either for free or for very low rates. Because of the high costs for medical services and treatments, people put off going to the doctor and end up going on with untreated ailments. This in turn causes the illness to become worse or some cases, the individual dies.

Runaway Spending - Part of the Problem & Clue to a Solution

Surprisingly, America spends twice as much on health care than other countries, yet it still has a poor health system and not to mention the 47 million who lack affordable health insurance. The reason for this is because the private insurance bureaucracy consumes 31% of the health care dollar. By streamlining payments through a non-profit payer instead would save over $350 billion annually. This would be more than enough to offer high-quality health insurance coverage for every American.

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