The United States of America has a unique healthcare system that relies upon individual provision and free-market capitalism. Care is a commodity, and as such, individuals in the USA have to pay for it like everything else. Medical procedures are, of course, immensely expensive. Anybody that has ever had to pay for surgery will tell you that medical care really adds up. All of the specialist equipment, staff, medicines, and care involved in a medical procedure need to be accounted for.
Because medical care is so expensive, Americans rely upon several methods that help them lower the financial burden of care. Here is a quick rundown of the most popular ways Americans pay for their healthcare.
Litigation
The civil justice system in the USA gives citizens the opportunity to claim compensation if they are injured due to another person’s wrongdoing or negligence. Compensation can be won from the person or organization that is legally responsible for the injury. For example, if a person was using a piece of farm machinery and it malfunctioned, injuring them, they would feasibly be able to claim medical expense compensation from the manufacturer of the faulty machine.
Law firms like Horst Shewmaker in Georgia specialize in reaching settlements to cover people’s medical expenses after an injury. By far, the most common form of personal injury litigation involves the compensation of victims in automobile accidents. Workplace accidents come in at second place.
Insurance
Insurance is the most sustainable method of paying for medical care in the USA. However, insurance is not mandatory for citizens, and the price of private insurance is reliant upon the relative insurability of a person’s health. Because of this uncertain pricing, most employed Americans rely upon their employers to provide health insurance plans for them. Thus, stable employment is often the best route to healthcare – and the best employers offer generous insurance packages.
Americans need to be extremely careful when buying insurance privately. Some insurers that offer great deals actually offer very limited coverage. In addition, if you are hurt unusually or become seriously ill, preexisting insurance may not cover the costs.
Debt
Unfortunately, many uninsured Americans are completely unable to pay their medical bills. This often means that a great deal of debt is accumulated, especially if recurring or chronic illnesses are suffered from. Medical care is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. Prisons are full of people who have turned to a life of crime to pay medical bills. Failure to pay for medical care often leads many patients into incarceration. Unable to pay their debts, they are required to turn up for regular hearings at debt collection court. If they do not turn up, they may be given jail sentences for contempt of court. Something is seriously wrong with this system. The prison system and the medical care system are intertwined – and they need to be separated. Unfortunately, changes to the US healthcare system are often resisted by people who believe in the importance of a self-regulated market.