Jacob Chow                                   						                 Chow 1
Mr. McGoldrick
English III
27 September 2024

Insurance vs. Hospitals: The competition American people suffer from


Hushed chatter, beeps, and the unmistakable smell of disinfectant wipes. The bleak, almost too-white walls and various cabinets and sinks surround you; It’s the hospital. The hospital is supposed to help people become healthy, which is supposed to make people feel safe and cared for. In reality, it’s the exact opposite. Hospitals are anxiety-inducing, all because of one slip of paper that displays the cost. The cost, which is too expensive for American families, can plunge them into poverty. But, insurance exists. It’s the thing supposed to lower your hospital bills. Ironically, insurance companies do the exact opposite. It raises prices, and the American people have to pay hefty sums for one hospital trip. These prices have made Americans struggle to pay their bills. Due to the manipulation of healthcare prices by insurance companies, more American families are falling into poverty.

Healthcare costs are rising due to the competition between insurance and hospital companies. Insurance companies advertise that customers would not have to pay hospital bills if an unexpected trip occurs and waive the bills. In turn, the hospitals make zero profit from cost waiving. So, hospitals drive their prices up because they need to generate profit to pay for drugs, equipment, and staff to ensure high-quality care. Since insurance companies attempt to stay true to their word they mark their prices up to insure customers, which leads to back-and-forth competition. “Insurance insulates patients from the full costs of care. Patient demand is less 


constrained by worries about costs and providers of services are less sensitive about raising prices. Where hospitals and doctors are paid on a fee for service basis the incentive is to provide more services for more fees.” (Dixon 878) Due to the competition, healthcare prices are rising constantly higher than they should be.

In turn, the American people have to pay a hefty sum due to the insurance and hospital price inflation. Compared to the European Union, small injuries and check-ups can cost a fortune in the US. In 2017, Europeans spent 200 billion euros on healthcare. The United States spent 3.5 trillion. Healthcare has gotten unusually expensive, seen with a family in the US named Bachman's their daughter suffered a snake bite. “[The daughter] was bitten by a snake. The treatment for the bite—including antivenins and several surgeries to save the leg—cost the family nearly $91,000 after insurance paid out.” (Hunnicutt 1) The median income of a family in America is $84,000, meaning that an unexpected hospital trip could cost more than a year's worth of money.

Americans struggle to pay the hefty price of healthcare inflation, even when insured. On average, insured Americans must pay more than uninsured Americans because of the insurance v. hospital competition; it’s a lose-lose situation. Uninsured Americans are typically on the lower end of the income spectrum and struggle to pay hospital bills, and insured Americans are charged more and struggle to pay hospital bills. “...Among adults under age sixty-five who have health insurance, nearly half (47 percent) reported having difficulty paying for health care on a 2022 survey conducted by the health care nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).” (Gale Opposing 

Viewpoints) Americans are anxious that one hospital trip could put them in debt and have to make drastic changes in their lifestyle to pay off the hospital bill, all because of the greed between hospitals and insurance companies. Now, there are viable solutions to solve the issue. America could take inspiration from Europe to increase taxes to pay for hospitals. However, that would cause a massive uproar because, in Europe, the average tax rate is 45-50%. That would contradict a founding principle America was built upon; lower taxes. 

Ultimately, the insurance and hospital competition drives the infamous healthcare costs in the United States. It’s what induces anxiety in Americans, the tiny slip of paper showing a jaw-dropping amount of money owed for one visit to the hospital. The amount of money owed is what makes families struggle and fall into poverty. But what for? The insurance manipulation of prices is driven by greed, and yet, the American people are the ones who have to suffer. The American government had a spending budget of $825 billion for military purposes. The healthcare price could drop significantly If the government reallocated that money to hospitals. Americans shouldn’t have to pay excessive amounts for healthcare because it’s a basic human right.












WORKS CITED

Bipartisan Policy Center. What Is Driving U.S. Health Care Spending?: America’s Unsustainable Health Care Cost Growth. Bipartisan Policy Center, 2012. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep35367. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.


Davis, Karen. “Inequality and Access to Health Care.” The Milbank Quarterly, vol. 69, no. 2, 1991, pp. 253–73. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3350204. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.


Dixon, Jennifer. “US Health Care. II: The Cost Problem.” BMJ: British Medical Journal, vol. 305, no. 6858, 1992, pp. 878–80. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/29717241. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.


"Access to Health Care." Gale Global Issues Online Collection, Gale, 2023. Gale In Context: Global Issues, 


link.gale.com/apps/doc/CP3208520075/GIC?u=j246909003&sid=bookmark-GIC&xid=63af684e. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.



Petrosyan, Varduhi, and Gerard F. Anderson. "Health Care Systems." Bioethics, edited by Bruce Jennings, 4th ed., vol. 3, Macmillan Reference USA, 2014, pp. 1490-1496. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3727400304/GIC?u=j246909003&sid=bookmark-GIC&xid=a0fa8e4b. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.


Redmond, Helen. "Access to Health Care Is a Human Right." Universal Health Care, edited by Susan C. Hunnicutt, Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010668213/GIC?u=j246909003&sid=bookmark-GIC&xid=a1980f27. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024. Originally published as "We Are Not Free: Health Care as a Human Right," Counterpunch, 21 Feb. 2008.






Peer Edit Research Essay

Your Name Jacob Chow
Partner’s Name Evan De Guelle

Heading
Is the last name followed by the page number in the top right corner?
Yes/No
On the left side of the page does the header go as follows: double spaces in between, and is it all in Times New Roman 12 point font?: Yes/No
	
Student Name 
Mr. McGoldrick
English III
27 September 2024
Is there a title? Yes/No
Is the title In correct format (NOT ITALICIZED, NOT UNDERLINED,  NOT BOLD, OR IN QUOTATION MARKS)? Yes/No


1st paragraph:Introduction

Is the paragraph indented?                                               Yes/No
Is it at least 4 OF THEIR OWN sentences?  					Yes /No
Is the beginning of every sentence capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there correct punctuation?                                            Yes/No
Are proper nouns capitalized?					Yes / No


Is there a clear thesis statement at the end of the paragraph.?                                                                             Yes / No


Body Paragraph 1: 
Is the paragraph indented?                                               Yes/No
Is it at least 4 OF THEIR OWN sentences?  					Yes /No
Is the beginning of every sentence capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there correct punctuation?                                            Yes/No
Are proper nouns capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there at least ONE QUOTE?                                                     Yes / No
Is there proper in-text citation after the quote? Example:(Smith) or (Gale Opposing Viewpoints) Yes/ No
Is the quote properly “Sandwiched”: 
1. Give context for the quote 
2. The quote itself
3. Explain how the quote backs up the main idea?
Yes / No



Body Paragraph 2: 
Is the paragraph indented?                                               Yes/No
Is it at least  4 OF THEIR OWN sentences?  					Yes /No
Is the beginning of every sentence capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there correct punctuation?                                            Yes/No
Are proper nouns capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there at least ONE QUOTE?                                                     Yes / No
Is there proper in-text citation (Smith) or (Gale Opposing Viewpoints) Yes/ No
Is the quote properly “Sandwiched”: 
1. Give context for the quote 
2. The quote itself
3. Explain how the quote backs up the main idea? Yes / No
Body Paragraph 3: 
Is the paragraph indented?                                               Yes/No
Is it at least  4 OF THEIR OWN sentences?  					Yes /No
Is the beginning of every sentence capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there correct punctuation?                                            Yes/No
Are proper nouns capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there a clear “solution” to the issue stated?                  Yes/No
Is there at least ONE QUOTE?                                                     Yes / No
Is there proper in-text citation (Smith) or (Gale Opposing Viewpoints) Yes/ No
Is the quote properly “Sandwiched”: 
1. Give context for the quote 
2. The quote itself
3. Explain how the quote backs up the main idea?
Yes / No


Conclusion:

Is the paragraph indented?                                               Yes/No
Is it at least  4  sentences?  					Yes /No
Is the beginning of every sentence capitalized?					Yes / No
Is there correct punctuation?                                            Yes/No
Are proper nouns capitalized?					Yes / No
Do they clearly restate their main idea of their thesis(in different wording than the actual thesis) at the beginning of the paragraph? Yes/No
Is there anything that is repeated or redundant? Yes/No 
Is there a clear direction moving forward regarding the solution(tangible steps needed to make the solution a reality) Yes/No




Works Cited
Is there a title “Works Cited” centered on the top of the page?      Yes  / No
Are there at least 3 sources?					Yes / No
Are the citations in proper MLA format                              Yes / No
Is it all in Times New Roman 12 point font?                                    Yes / No
Is it double-spaced?						Yes / No
Is it in alphabetical order?					Yes / No
Is there a hanging indent?                                                Yes/No


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