Demand Better Health Care in the USA

The cover letter is below, and the supporting document (including the cover letter) can be downloaded from the below.

Introduction

Health Care spending in the United States has become a hot debate topic in the last years. With other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom leading the way, the question has become “In the greatest country on Earth, why is our Health Care system so pitiful?”

This paper will explore those concepts and will attempt to outline issues and propose solutions. This is meant as a companion article to support letters to Congress and other political activities.

Background Information

Scope of this Article

It is important in the United States, that we recognize a few key truths about our existence, both as a country, and as individual citizens. Those include but are not limited to:

• Our health care system in the United States is based on a privatized, multi-pay system. This means that while there is a Medicare system, it is limited to the elderly and the disabled. Americans have the option to purchase private insurance, which helps to cover part (and in very rare cases all) of their medical expenses.

• The United States has an almost entirely capitalism-based system of spending, including our health care system. (Private insurance is based on a pay scale system, meaning that better insurance costs more to the individual)

• Even with Medicare for those who qualify, it only covers roughly 80% of a consumer’s overall medical costs. The rest is passed onto the consumer.

• There is almost an endless debate of Socialism v. Capitalism and how it effects the quality of life for the average American citizen and was overall one of the larger debate topics for the 2020 election.

Therefore, it is also important that we establish the scope of this article. The health care system in the United States is a beast, and even more so, the political infrastructure behind it. Most of that would be beyond the scope for this article. This article is intended as a reinforcement or “eye opener” that one could send to their congress person as part of a larger appeal or in support of a letter. This article will attempt to lay out facts about the health care system in the United States, as well as the estimated costs for the alternative, and ways the alternative can be implemented. It is not intended to be a persuasive argument, nor should it be used as such.

Political Activities

Introduction and How This Can be Used

Note: this section and the following sections may be additionally tainted by my own bias, even though I will intentionally try to limit that bias.

If you think back to the very beginning of this article, it was stated in the introduction that this article was intended to be used as a companion article to support letters to your congress person and other political activities. We will briefly discuss those options here.

Note: This page onwards should not be included as part of a letter to your representative/senator. Include pages 1-14 (all pages prior to this one) to support your cover letter/email/etc. This section onwards is for your reference.

Why get involved?

In truth, health care in the United States is a broken shell of a system that puts profits over patient care. It has become a money pit, with greedy CEOs and companies at the bottom of the pit, lining their pockets with money. According to medifind.com, lack of comprehensive insurance coverage (usually because it costs too much), high costs of care, and the lack of transparency are among the leading factors that explain why the US health care system is broken.

Who decides how/when this happens? Congress. Who does Congress work for? The American People. This is the basis of our Democratic Republic in the United States. Congress has a responsibility to try and act in the best interests for the American People. But it is up to the American People to speak out and make their opinions of the situation known.

We, the American People, deserve a better health care system. It is up to us, the American People, to demand it from Congress and to hold them accountable for delivering it to us.

Cover Letter

If you’re intent on writing your congress person (either via email or snail mail), feel free to use this cover letter as a template.

Saturday, July 24, 2021

To Whom It May Concern:

Dear Congress Person,

I am writing you today to express my dissatisfaction with the health care system, here in the United States. Our health care system is broken, inefficient, wasteful, and downright places profits over patient care. It is a for-profit based system, which allows insurance companies, drug companies, and providers to line their pockets with money, while the average American suffers. I have included a document for you to consider, which provides more details about spending and offers a solution to our issue.

As the Representative/Senator for my area, I am asking — no, I am demanding — that you hold yourself and your colleagues to a higher standard. And while I can only speak for myself, I believe that the American people deserve better than what has been provided. I realize that it will take time, and it will take a great effort to make this happen. I understand that the wheels of Congress turn slowly, but they must turn, and they must start today. I believe that it’s past time for the cesspool that is the US health care system be cleaned up, and profits are placed below patient care. No one who is selling lifesaving medicine or providing medical care should be allowed to make millions. They need to be reminded that they are in the health care service industry. As in, they need to be reminded that they serve their patients.

Unfortunately, Congress needs to be reminded of a similar lesson. Congress — yourself included — serves the American People. Congress should be accountable to the needs of the People, and not to the profits of corporations. Capitalism is a fine system for many things, but health care is not one of them.

I pledge that through the Democratic process of voting for my elected officials, Congress will be reminded of this lesson of servitude. I pledge to rally my fellow American, to send them to the polls come election time, and to vote for Representatives and Senators who understand the nature of the relationship of Congress in service to the American People. I pledge to educate myself and my fellow Americans on the Representatives and Senators who do not serve the American People’s best interests.

Will you pledge to be a part of the Congress that fixes this mess?