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1. The horrible thing about having medical insurance is that in spite of having coverage most folks still have to seriously budget going to the doctor because of their ever-increasing copays. This is probably not just a cost-sharing mechanism, but a calculated plan on the part of insurance companies to stall folks accessing services and thus stalling the insurance companies incurring cost for those services.
However, this seems counterproductive in as much as folks then access services once they are sicker and it costs more. Tracking the rise in premium contributions and cost-sharing for families with large employer coverage
(https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/tracking-the-rise-in-premium-contributions-and-cost-sharing-for-families-with-large-employer-coverage/) is an interesting exploration of this crisis.
Do you think this is part of the reason for the growing copays or is it simply a cost-sharing mechanism?
2. In a prior course I had a student remark about accessing health care that “I would try to find a reputable doctor and would think about cost last”. That’s also exactly what I would do.
However, so MANY Americans simply don’t have that option. They cannot worry about cost last. Their first, and often only concern, has to be about cost. Key Facts about the Uninsured Population (https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/) provides some startling facts about the situation.
As the course draws to a close, I want to impress upon you all how critical it is as health care professionals to be aware of those in our society that simply do NOT have access to the high level of health care to which many of us have grown accustomed. They most often simply don’t have health care as an option. They are struggling too hard simply to get the next meal on the table. The most important question that I think I can pose to the class is this:
In your ongoing career and everyday life, what can you do to impact change in the health care arena so that there is broader access in some form or fashion by those less fortunate than yourself?
