Argumentative Essay: Lack Of Access To Healthcare

The lack of access to healthcare is a major obstacle that many Americans already face. While there are many factors that play a role in influencing the access to the care that many need, in a lot of cases, the main factor that all people consider is the cost. In our capitalist society, the free market allows for the selling and buying of the resources needed for one’s health and many take advantage of it. This can be greatly said about the high prices of prescription drugs, in which the prices of medications have greatly increased affecting many families and individuals. In order to combat this obstacle that many are facing, there are many Americans that rely on government insurance and though it’s a good remedy in helping many alleviate this

Taking a final look at the monetary aspect; since the elderly are most vulnerable to disease as well as living with not much to pay for their treatment, their payments are making a bigger impact than one might realize, even with initiatives from the insurance. “For those patients with painful chronic conditions such as arthritis, who often pay approximately $40,000 a year out of pocket, this legislation would decrease the price of medication to $10,000 per year, according to the House Ways and Means Committee”. Those $30,000 in savings could go toward groceries, rent, bills and so much more (Allred, 2021), but looking at the intended price and then the actual price that people pay, there is still a huge sum of money that must be met. As mentioned before, the ambiguity of how the system works, especially those that are placed at a disadvantage, are more confused and embarrassed to know how best to receive the adequate and fitting care for them (Abelson, 2022). With the stress already on them to pay their bills on time, they will be constantly paying this amount and possibly more because they don't know that their insurance plans and medication can increase (Maas, 2022), further emphasizing the effects that it can cause on this ailing population. We also continuously see some of its effects in hospitals such as in the United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, Illinois in which Dan Ireland, President of this institution, said, "The 340B drug pricing program is critical for many of our financially vulnerable patients, especially those battling cancer. This program covers the daunting financial gap between the high cost of medication and the low reimbursement of many insurance plans, making it possible for hospitals like United Memorial to continue to provide the highest level of care to all patients regardless of