Americas Health Care Crisis
EN11R
Final Research Paper Americas Health Care Crisis The central issue of politics in our current generation is no longer about getting ahead; instead it is about simply getting by. In recent years major faults have been exposed in the structure of the American health care system. The debate about health care in the U.S focuses on whether there is a fundamental right each individual has to health care. Is there a moral obligation to help individuals by making health care a universal system in the United States? Many Americans believe health care should be looked at as a condition not a commodity. The American people are becoming uneasy with the current system as prices continue to rise in a down economy. The United States needs health care reform through radical revisions of the current system to provide better care for individuals in the future. Privatized health care in the United States dates back to the 1800’s. According to Pamela Behan, author of Solving the Health Care Problem, reformers put social insurance on the national agenda in 1912. By 1913 there was a campaign for health and disability insurance for industrial workers. By 1917 a model bill including dependent health care had been drafted. When Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor, decided that unions needed health insurance as a workplace issue the bill died (Behan 66). By the 1920’s the American Medical Association had took an official stand against state health insurance due to the costs employers would need to make. In July Michael D. Maves, director of the American Medical Association, wrote congress to express the associations support for “Americas Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.” The change of heart of the American Medical Association shows just how drastically America needs reform (Davis). Throughout U.S history there have been many initiatives to redevelop health care. In 1945, Harry Truman proposed a bill that gave comprehensive
Final Research Paper Americas Health Care Crisis The central issue of politics in our current generation is no longer about getting ahead; instead it is about simply getting by. In recent years major faults have been exposed in the structure of the American health care system. The debate about health care in the U.S focuses on whether there is a fundamental right each individual has to health care. Is there a moral obligation to help individuals by making health care a universal system in the United States? Many Americans believe health care should be looked at as a condition not a commodity. The American people are becoming uneasy with the current system as prices continue to rise in a down economy. The United States needs health care reform through radical revisions of the current system to provide better care for individuals in the future. Privatized health care in the United States dates back to the 1800’s. According to Pamela Behan, author of Solving the Health Care Problem, reformers put social insurance on the national agenda in 1912. By 1913 there was a campaign for health and disability insurance for industrial workers. By 1917 a model bill including dependent health care had been drafted. When Samuel Gompers, the president of the American Federation of Labor, decided that unions needed health insurance as a workplace issue the bill died (Behan 66). By the 1920’s the American Medical Association had took an official stand against state health insurance due to the costs employers would need to make. In July Michael D. Maves, director of the American Medical Association, wrote congress to express the associations support for “Americas Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.” The change of heart of the American Medical Association shows just how drastically America needs reform (Davis). Throughout U.S history there have been many initiatives to redevelop health care. In 1945, Harry Truman proposed a bill that gave comprehensive
Cited: Davis, Michael D. "American Medical Association." Letter to U.S House of Representatives. 16 July 2009. American Medical Association. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. Feldman, Roger D. American Health Care Government, Market Processes, and the Public Interest. New York: Transaction, 2000. Print. "Gaps in Health Insurance: An All-American Problem - The Commonwealth Fund." The Commonwealth Fund -- Health Policy, Health Reform, and Performance Improvement. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. . M., Ayres, Stephen. Health care in the United States. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996. Print. "Problems with Our Health Care System." Health Insurance Online. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. . "Senate debate on health care bill opens with heated rhetoric - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. .