Sadly, struggles with healthcare in the United States are not only terrifying but also incredibly real. I am not trying to be negative but healthcare in the United States is a massive joke that is NOT at all funny! Recently I found out just how much insurance was going to cost me through my company and it is outrageous. This has caused my husband and I to start looking into buying our own insurance. This also raised my curiosity into what is really going on with health care within the country I am living in.
In 2018, the costs of health care in the United States skyrocketed drastically! In an 
analysis from the US Federal government, it was found that Americans would spend $3.65 trillion for health care. With this appalling amount for health care, it represents each person would spend $11,212. Breaking it down even further, 59% of the spending is going to hospitals, doctor’s appointments and clinical services. Even prescription costs have increased 3.3% over the years. In my personal opinion, this is ridiculous and only shows sheer greed. According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, spending on health care in the United States is by far the higher that any other developed country.
The GDP (Gross Domestic Products) in the United States is larger than countries like 
Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Spain, and Canada. Reports from the Journal Health Affairs have estimated an average annual growth rate of 5.5% just from 2018 to 2027. Now if things continue as they have been, health care will be 19.4% of the country’s entire GDP! Unfortunately, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, wage growth remains below 4% and yet insurance prices will only increase! This is wrong on so many levels and yet there is no one trying to fix this issue! Actually, there are a few people fighting hard to correct the madness and they are Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the senate and a several other progressives in the house.
Even Private Health Insurance is only going up in price! Spending per person rose 4.5% between 2017 and 2018, even though the individual was already in the exact same insurance policy.
To say this is ludicrous is a HUGE understatement! Health insurance should not be a 
privilege, but it should be a right! It is despicable the way this is being handled among pharmaceutical companies and our own government. There are so many people 
including myself that need insurance or we will never be able to afford the medications that the doctor prescribes for valid reasons. Many of the medications we get at the pharmacy are required so our illness does not progress at a rapid rate.
I think it is obvious I think it is a disgrace that all the pharmaceutical and insurance companies care about it how much money they can make and not about the well-being of others. What ever happened to humanity or did it ever really exist? Once upon a time, the United States was at the top for education and health care and now it is only at 27th in the entire world. It is pathetic that doctors do not care as much as they did years ago for their patients, but 
now it is all about their paycheck! They get patient after patient, rush them without listening to anything their patient is saying, which is terrible! I am pretty sure that doctors completely forgot what the Hippocratic Oath says and might need a refresher!
I apologize that this post may have seemed negative, but I am very frustrated with how awful health care is in the country I live in. I am not sure if I was just extremely naive before 
and things have always been the way they are now or if something just went very wrong in the thinking of Americans! I guess I may never know.
Thank you so much for visiting my site today. I hope your weekend has been great and you are enjoying every moment of it. Even though this was kind of a rant of my feelings, I would love to read your thoughts on this topic. I promise to respond as quickly as I can! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love , comfort and many positive vibes!
Always, Alyssa
Fightmsdaily 
Reblogged this on Survivors Blog Here.
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I’m so sad you’ve been struggling with this! Is there any chance that you might be eligible for any government benefits? It’s something to consider!! I hope you’re having a great day!
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Thank you Meg for your kind and caring words. Things are a little crazy at the moment, but it is probably like this for many others. It is terrible those in power treat insurance like it isn’t our right, but a privilege. Your thoughts always mean so much to me! I hope your weekend is going great!!
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It a f*$&ed up system, for sure
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Thank you Grace, I could not have said it better myself!
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You are so right that health care should be a right, not a privilege. It also shouldn’t be operating as a for-profit business model.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this post and comment! I really appreciate you and your thoughts! Of course, I agree with you 100%! I feel like those in charge are making insurance be a privileged and not everyone has those privileges!
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Hello, Alyssa… I didn’t forget about you, (well, I kept forgetting to tell you) All the insurance info I had was strictly for Medicare recipients.
I have Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.
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No worries Beckie! Thank you for letting me know who you go through for insurance!
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I don’t blame you for being frustrated–I’m so happy I live in a country where I never have to think about this, let alone go bankrupt due to a medical emergency. I can’t understand why the US doesn’t have universal healthcare when so many people seem to want it.
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Exactly!!! There is no reason for the US to not have universal healthcare like all other developed countries! It is unfortunate that SO many listen with deaf ears to what our government tells them and it is always that universal healthcare is terrible! I am sorry, what country do you live in?
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Canada!
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My goodness I did know that already! I swear I am not blonde, I just often have a terrible memory! In my opinion, Canada is a great place to live and maybe some day, my husband and I will live there. He has been waiting to move up there for years now!
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It’s definitely a great place to live😊 Don’t worry about remembering—I’m sure
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Thank you! I think my husband wants to live on the West coast in Canada! We will see, maybe someday we will take leap of fate!!
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It’s beautiful out west😊
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I have heard! He has gone back and forth between Canada, California and Colorado. My only issue is, I don’t want to be land locked! I love the ocean and he loves the mountains. I am more on board with Canada right now because it is a Trump free zone!!
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Alyssa the only thing I would consider when you talk about Socialist countries, you get 30-50% less in your paycheck for the government to pay for those bennies. It’s not get you full check and get healthcare. Just something to remember.
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I can understand where you are coming from, but I can say without hesitation, that would be far better than this! Think about those living with a chronic illness that make very little in salary, but then their insurance is nearly half what their paycheck is. And if they go to the doctor and or need medication, it is more money coming out of their pocket. That can’t be enough to live on comfortably.
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Can you live of 30-50% less salary and get healthcare with few choices. I’m sharing another side. Bottom line it’s not better either way.
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I definitely appreciate you sharing another side of things. I honestly think it would be possible because if I go through my company for insurance, it is literally almost 1/2 my paycheck. It is insane.
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It’s not cheap I agree. We are lucky because my husbands company pays part of the cost. 🙂
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You are much luckier than a lot of others. I know my job doesn’t do anything helpful at all and that is just sad. It is definitely not cheap and really should be more affordable in a country that is supposed to be much better,
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Good luck in finding a less expensive policy. Is there insurance at your husbands job?
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Thank you. Currently my husband is looking for a job and we both hope when he does find a job, insurance will be a lot cheaper than it is where I work.
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And you and I have discussed the benefits of Canada and their healthcare system many times. My grandmother had a heart condition for years, had different meds and tests and all was covered and then when she was a senior citizen, all covered as well.
It is despicable, really it is what is charged. When my boss and I left the law firm for him to start his own firm, he had insurance through his wife (a teacher at the time). I stayed on COBRA for about a year and got an insurance agent to find a comparable plan – he said Hunana was the “richest plan” as to insurance coverage … rich for them as to $$$ as well – they raised my rates as a single subscriber from about $450.00/month to well over $600.00 in about two years’ time and that did not cover the only doctor I routinely went to (an allergist … allergic to dust, leaves, mold, etc. – and the serum for the shots) … they paid such a pitiful amount, I had to pay the out-of-pocket. I am now on Obamacare and my Total Healthcare pays the entire allergist amount. I worry every time Trump wants to mess with Obamacare – finally he is done until after next year’s election.
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It is crazy how many Americans want to believe what they are told on the news or when political people talk about healthcare. It blows my mind how people seem to think free health care is a terrible thing because you end up not making as much money and things are limited. Doing the math with what I make and how much insurance would cost me, Canada still seems WAY better!!!! I am with you, every time I hear Trump talking about ObamaCare, it scares me. He has ideas of what healthcare should be and it is WRONG! Even though Obama hasn’t been president in 2 years, Trump still seems insanely intimidated by him. It is my hope he is done after next year’s election because I do feel very strongly that he is destroying this country with every word he speaks or tweets!
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Indeed, and now we’re off monkeying around with the healthcare, it is the tariffs and the stock market is tanking and goods will be costing us more. He can afford – the average person cannot!
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It is terrible! I believe everything he does messes the country up more! The heatlhcare part hits home to me! He keeps making countries like China mad and it stupid! He seems to look up to leaders that are more like dictators! I think he is getting more insane daily!
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America is a business, not a country. Nothing will ever be free over here.
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Oh my goodness, I couldn’t have said it better myself! This is so true and very sad! Greed and evil has taken over!
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YIKES! This makes for very alarming reading, and I’m not surprised you’re so frustrated! We’re very fortunate with the NHS in the UK, though you could also say that we have incredibly high tax on everything so we do pay for it in other ways, and there are so many problems with it, too. I also end up paying for lots of things in addition, where the NHS has failed. But to have to pay for insurance the way you do over there, the cost of procedures and prescriptions… horrifying. It’s disgraceful that access to healthcare comes down to how much money you have and whether you can afford it.
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Thank you!! It really is a disgrace the way things work over here. I am logical and know that there would be disadvantages to having free healthcare, but over all it would never be as bad as it is in the states What frustrates me even more is that many Americans believe what they are told by politicians and think it would be awful and what we deal with now will always be better. I can say, it will never be good. I mean I will end up paying about 1/2 my paycheck and still large co-pays. It makes absolutely NO sense. Thank you for what you shared, it is very appreciated!
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I get my coverage through healthcare.gov aka Obamacare. When I was with the hubby’s insurance it was close to 900.00 a month. Now I’m at 227.00 per month. The deductible is unreal, but it’s somewhat doable.
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Thank you for your post. I agree
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You are more than welcome! I appreciate you reading and leaving a wonderful comment! I hope you have a great week!
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