Too many Americans can’t afford to see a doctor when they are sick. 45 million Americans live without heath insurance and therefore cannot afford to pay medical bills. Medical issues are the number one reason for personal bankruptcy. The issue of healthcare is not getting the attention it needs in Washington but it will soon be back in the front seat as an important issue in the 2008 presidential election. Clinton and Edwards both want universal health care, Obama wants affordable heath care. This is an issue that has become an economic disaster and there is no easy answer. Putting healthcare in the hands of the government could potentially put millions of Americans out of jobs. For the people who already have healthcare, it may not be worth the hassle of switching to a universal healthcare system. For people who can’t afford health care, it would be a blessing.
Affordable health care was an important issue for Barack Obama in the Illinois Senate and continues to be an important issue for him in the Senate. In a speech at the Pritzker School of Medicine Commencement, Obama said, “There isn't one person sitting here today who wants to turn a sick patient away because they can't pay.” Many Americans depend on Medicare and Medicaid, so Barack Obama has voted to restore funding for both of these programs. These programs are too often cut from the budget of governments who need to reduce spending. Also businesses too often cut providing health care to their employees when they need to cut spending. This takes its toll on many Americans who already struggle to pay their bills before their employer and the government starts messing with their health care.
The quality of health care also needs to be improved. The health care industry does not use enough information technology. In the 21st century, too much health care is provided with a pen and paper. Using information technology could reduce costs, reduce errors and save lives. If doctors and nurses could pull up a patient’s entire medical history at their bedside, it would save time and reduce errors. For people who move often or are vacationing far from home, this would be a great benefit for a doctor to be able to view their medical history without waiting for it to arrive in the mail. It would also allow doctors to make the right decision since they would know the patient’s entire medical past. This would be a great improvement since medical error kills over 98,000 people a year.
In Barack Obama’s speech at the Pritzker School of Medicine, he said, “We spend nearly one and a half trillion dollars a year on health care in America. But a quarter of that money - one out of every four dollars - is spent on non-medical costs; most of it bills and paperwork.” Most other industries have saved billions by doing their transactions online. At the bank, every transaction only costs a penny thanks to information technology. The banking industry has proved that this technology is safe and secure. There is talk about doing voting online. The internet has made banking easier for the banking, now it is time to use it to save thousands of lives in the medical industry.
Universal health care is not necessarily the answer. If the price of health care could be decreased, it would be a huge help for millions of Americans. We may not need a dramatic change like universal health care.
Affordable health care was an important issue for Barack Obama in the Illinois Senate and continues to be an important issue for him in the Senate. In a speech at the Pritzker School of Medicine Commencement, Obama said, “There isn't one person sitting here today who wants to turn a sick patient away because they can't pay.” Many Americans depend on Medicare and Medicaid, so Barack Obama has voted to restore funding for both of these programs. These programs are too often cut from the budget of governments who need to reduce spending. Also businesses too often cut providing health care to their employees when they need to cut spending. This takes its toll on many Americans who already struggle to pay their bills before their employer and the government starts messing with their health care.
The quality of health care also needs to be improved. The health care industry does not use enough information technology. In the 21st century, too much health care is provided with a pen and paper. Using information technology could reduce costs, reduce errors and save lives. If doctors and nurses could pull up a patient’s entire medical history at their bedside, it would save time and reduce errors. For people who move often or are vacationing far from home, this would be a great benefit for a doctor to be able to view their medical history without waiting for it to arrive in the mail. It would also allow doctors to make the right decision since they would know the patient’s entire medical past. This would be a great improvement since medical error kills over 98,000 people a year.
In Barack Obama’s speech at the Pritzker School of Medicine, he said, “We spend nearly one and a half trillion dollars a year on health care in America. But a quarter of that money - one out of every four dollars - is spent on non-medical costs; most of it bills and paperwork.” Most other industries have saved billions by doing their transactions online. At the bank, every transaction only costs a penny thanks to information technology. The banking industry has proved that this technology is safe and secure. There is talk about doing voting online. The internet has made banking easier for the banking, now it is time to use it to save thousands of lives in the medical industry.
Universal health care is not necessarily the answer. If the price of health care could be decreased, it would be a huge help for millions of Americans. We may not need a dramatic change like universal health care.
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