America’s 45th president continues to make controversial headlines. One of these is the government’s public desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Obamacare has provided millions of Americans with healthcare insurance that would have otherwise had none. Replacing Obamacare with what is colloquially known as “Trumpcare” would leave these Americans without healthcare coverage, thereby undoing years of hard work and dedication by the former president. Tension has been high enough with the new president, the quickest to reach a majority disapproval rating (only 8 days after taking office). It should come to no surprise that the new plan for healthcare changes in large part supports the wealthiest Americans. According to the New York Times, the Republican’s proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act would provide about $157 billion in tax cuts to those Americans with incomes of $1 million or greater. The benefits proposed are directed to support the top 1%, you know, those that struggle with paying for healthcare insurance the most… NOT! “Repeal-and-replace is a gigantic transfer of wealth from the lowest-income Americans to the highest-income Americans,” said Edward D. Kleinbard, professor at the University of Southern California’s law school.
This is discouraging, but for those of us with a beating heart full of love, I have good news. The healthcare system in place today is far from perfect, and I believe it is actually hurting the people more than it is helping. Did you know that depending on your ZIP code you are more likely to be recommended a spinal fusion surgery? Dr. James Weinstein, former director of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, looked at 10-year rate procedures for back surgeries of Medicare patients. He found that areas of wealth with a larger retirement community had greater than 10 times the rate for these surgeries. These type of operations have also increased 67 percent between 2001 and 2011, but beneficial outcomes have not increased. These types of surgeries typically do not alleviate symptoms the patient previously complained of.
Why receive surgery as treatment? First, many patients are reluctant to change their lifestyle—especially Medicare patients (65 years and older). People are creatures of habit and they do not like changing the way they’ve lived for over six decades. Second, many people trust the surgeons they see for sound medical advice. However, a surgeon’s job is to perform surgery. They may be the best surgeon in the world, but that doesn’t mean surgery is the best option. Most often, surgeons will recommend physical therapy beforehand, but physical therapy is time-consuming and requires modifications to one’s activities of daily living. If a physical therapist’s advice is taken with a grain of salt then the patient will end up right back at the surgeon’s office. Lastly, people always want the easiest option. Pills are a lot easier to use than exercises, especially if a patient does not regularly exercise. This all ties back around to not wanting to change lifestyle habits.
In today’s world of technology, there are abundant resources that can be used to educate one’s self. Most people have a smart phone with internet capabilities in their pocket. For those that do not, every city has a public library with access to the internet. There are tons of little known facts that can change the way someone views the world. For instance, most of us think of food as something we consume for energy. This is true, but what we eat actually acts as medicine or poison. Vitamins and minerals are just as essential for life as calories. There is a drastic difference in the fat obtained from almonds and avocados than a McDouble with fries. Just because something doesn’t act quick doesn’t mean there isn’t something happening. We live in a world as microscopic as an atom and as infinite as the universe. We have an entire lifetime to accumulate toxins that may not manifest themselves as cancer until many years later.
Another point to consider, is that insurance companies are extremely selective as to what they will reimburse. Insurance companies do not always approve of treatments. They require a direct link through evidence based research that a treatment received will actually result in the improvement of a patient’s condition. However, the evidence is constantly shifting. Researchers don’t like to waste their time and this often times may result in bias of a study to prove a point. For example, there was a study performed by an antibiotic company, using flawed statistics, that claimed their antibiotics could relieve back pain.
According to the Huffington Post, pharmaceutical companies spend almost 20 times more on advertising than they do research and development. John Oliver, host of the show “Last Week Tonight”, pointed out that an estimated $24 billion dollars is spent by pharmaceutical companies advertising to health care professionals. This seems a bit sketchy, does it not? Insurance companies love pharmaceutical companies though. That’s because insurance companies love money. If a pill can reduce someone’s blood pressure effectively, and said person doesn’t want to exercise or eat healthy, then an insurance company would rather support a cause that requires less money and effort on their part.
In conclusion, the flaws of our healthcare system are not being targeted by Trumpcare. Instead, the replacement of Obamacare is only exposing more governmental flaws. The rich get richer, the sick get sicker, and those with power gain more of it. If humans really consider themselves the highest form of life, then they should rely more on the vast number of resources available to educate themselves so that we aren't reliant on a government that doesn't care about the individual. Go ahead and take away my healthcare, it’s not taking care of my health anyway.
