English Literature

The question of the cost of health care in the United States continues to receive different views from economists and the American public. With one side arguing that the cost is not too high, there are various argument points to support this. The far end has those who argue that the cost is too high with various reasons to support the same. There is need to evaluate both arguments and give reasons for each argument.
    Health care costs in the U.S are too high if the average person is not able to afford good coverage with many businesses encountering difficulties in meeting the health care costs of their employees whereas convicts are receiving coverage for free. On the other hand, the health care costs may not be too high considering that the improved technologies available now help in saving our lives. In addition, spending on medicines and doctors is worth as they save our lives. High and rising health costs are also favorable for our economy.
Health care costs in the United States are too high
    In the United States, being convicted criminal guarantees you right to health care. To get free health coverage, the best option for you if you cannot afford such coverage is to find your way behind the bars. Once behind the bars, you become under the custody of the state and the state is obliged to offer medical care to you. The worst part of this debate is that the law-abiding citizen foots all these health care bills for a person who is already a convicted law breaker yet the law-abiding citizen cannot afford such health care. To make things even worse, the criminals have access to medical care that is not primary such as treatments to change gender. The cost of having such treatments is too high considering that it is not being received by the taxpayer. A good example is where the state paid for James Wolfes gender change treatment in Pennsylvania yet he was a convicted rapist. Per year, the costs of running such treatments amount to up to 8,000 as per the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Instead of such money covering the health of a family that is paying taxes, it is channeled to elective procedures of a convicted criminal for free. The cost of having a criminal receive breast reduction operation is too high more so when considering that it is state-funded. It is unfortunate that up to 3,000 are spent to do the procedure whereas many average families cannot afford this (Crowley, para 1).
    Free medical care is something next to impossible yet thousands of dollars are spent every year to take care of hardened criminals at the expense of a low income family. Law abiding Americans have paid large bills for expensive treatments administered to criminals such as bone marrow transplant yet they themselves cannot afford such.     Isnt it too expensive to channel up to 900,000 to perform heart transplants to a convicted armed robber when about 3,900 people are waiting for heart transplant and many end up dying for lack of the procedure This is what happened in California a few years ago (Crowley, para 5). The aftercare cost for a heart transplant patient is equally high to almost 1 million. The above facts and others are a clear indication that the cost of health care in U.S. is too high for the rightful persons and disheartening free for a convicted prisoner.
    The fact that majority of the population cannot afford health care for themselves and their families on a normal salary show that health care in the United States is too high. The Medicaid is a clear indicator that there is a big number of Americans who are of so a low socioeconomic status that they cannot afford health insurance. In addition, Medicaid beneficiaries are not able to qualify for employer-based insurance meaning that they cannot even enjoy health care as they do not fit in that bracket. As of October 2009, the U.S. employment rate was around 9.5 meaning that most people were loosing jobs and becoming unable to access health care (particularly employer-based insurance) further straining them in receiving health care (Mercatonet, para 2). It is estimated that more than 45 million Americans do not have health care insurance mainly due to high costs of insurance (Richmond  Fein, p 2). In addition, an average worker pays over 1,000 to cater for medical costs of uninsured Americans. This is a very high cost for an already economically deprived American (Maineinsights, para 21).
    A good percent of the businesses in the U.S. have a very hard time affording health care for their employees and families. While all this is going on, our convicted killers are receiving all the medical attention they need for free. At the same time, most employees in small businesses which form a big part of the American economy cannot qualify for health insurance since the companies have low competitiveness and purchasing power compared to large companies that easily attract insurance providers. The economic crisis is even straining businesses further and the laying off of staff due to this crisis leaves them unable to access health care insurance for themselves and their families. It is estimated that the rise in health care costs would double for small businesses by the end of the coming decade if costs are not controlled. The strain on small businesses has even forced employers to have employees co-pay their healthcare costs from their salaries mainly due to increase in premiums (Russo, and Connecticut Small Business Owners, p 3).
Health care costs in the United States are not too high
    The argument that health care costs are not too high in the United States is supported by several facts. We need to choose between improved health care that is high valued and a low cost care which does not meet health needs of Americans. Health care costs are high because of improved technologies that we are fortunate to have to save our lives. Improved health care goes hand in hand with a rise in cost of the care. The new technologies that we have are able to raise survival rates for otherwise fatal conditions like diabetes and serious accidents. Isnt it worthy to have our loved ones survive some fatal conditions and at the end we dig deeper into our pockets to have them live In any case, such persons are able to go back to economically productive activities.
    We may also be missing the point by saying that the cost is skyrocketing without considering that almost all medical procedures have experienced a cut in their cost and what we are seeing is a actually a rise in spending. This is as a result of more advanced technologies like availability of less invasive surgical procedures which leads to quick recovery. This makes many people go for such a procedure and as a result, total spending rises. Almost every procedure is having more attractive features and costing less (Morris, p 28). It costs to have persons with persistent conditions like cancer or having heart attack victims survive and go back to their normal activities and this is preferable than letting them die. This is what the modern medicine has done to us and we are just paying for this worthy cause.
    A rising cost of health care is good for our economy. If we would view that expenditure to one person is revenue to another, then we would appreciate the high cost of health care in our country. In any case, success rate of the new medical care is very high and justifiable to cost much. Equipping hospitals with sophisticated and expensive medical equipment is always a gain to the manufacturer and supplier of such equipment who also form part of our economy. The health care sector is a very promising sector of our economy making the biggest private employer in addition to giving the United States a competitive advantage (Morris, p 28). The rising GDP share of the health care is a normal historical trend and therefore it is expected to come down with time. History shows that agriculture took up to 50 of the GDP more than a century ago but currently takes up 3.
    It may be viewed as a bad thing to have a rise in GDP share of 16 to about 30 in a few years to come in the health care sector but this can be viewed as a positive thing as it is going to give the U.S. international competitiveness in addition to people adjusting to increased cost of health care. People will always adjust their spending to fit them even if costs increase and therefore health care will re main affordable in America though probably financing the health care may pose a problem (Morris, p 29).
    One would probably argue that too much is spent on medicines and healthcare professionals. However, the enormous amount of money we spend on our doctors and our medicine is not and should not be a problem because those two things have our lives in their hands on a daily basis and should be paid well to ensure our safety. We may have enough health facilities but if we do not have enough doctors and nurses who are professionally qualified mean that we compromise the quality of health care. It is better to have extra costs on health care and receive quality and timely health care which in the long run is a low cost as a result of having a healthy generation.
Conclusion
    The differing views regarding cost of health care in the United States will remain taking into considerations the various supportive arguments on each view. Some will view them as not high due to resultant benefits accrued to advanced life saving technology and prospects that the health sector will strengthen the economy in the long run as people adjust spending as per rising costs. Nonetheless, health care costs in the U.S are too high if the average person is not able to afford good coverage and convicts are receiving coverage for free, without mentioning the hard times businesses are going through to the extent that they hardly afford health care for employees and families.
 Works cited
Crowley, Michael. Readers Digest.com. Outrageous Crime pays ... If you need top-notch medical care. 2009. Retrieved 1, December 2009 from httpwww.rd.comyour-america-inspiring-people-and-storiesthats-outrageous----prisoners-rights-to-free-medical-carearticle27400.html
Maineinsights.com. Small Business and Health Insurance reform. President Obamas speech, October 29th, 2009. Retrieved 1, December 2009 from httpmaineinsights.compermasmall-business-and-health-insurance-reform
Mercatornet. Mercatornet.com. Give me ObamaCare and my grandmom is doomed The case for a leading American bioethicist defends the Obama Administrations proposals as fairer, cheaper and more trustworthy. 2009. Retrieved 1, December 2009 from httpwww.mercatornet.comarticlesviewgive_me_obamacare_and_my_grandmom_is_doomed
Morris, Charles R. Why U.S heath care costs arent too high in Elements of Argument A Text and Reader by Rottenberg, Annette T.  Winchell, Donna H. New York, NY BedfordSt. Martins. 2008.
Richmond, Julius B. and Fein, Rashi. The health care mess how we got into it and what it will take to get out. Cambridge, MA Harvard University Press. 2005.
Russo, Mike and Connecticut Small Business Owners. Small businesses at risk How entrepreneurs slip through the health care systems cracks. ConnPirg. October 2009.