 |
| Image Source: most-expensive.net |
National health care is a heatedly debated topic, particularly when its rising cost is focused on. In the last decade, several healthcare policies have been signed into effect, all of which aimed to reduce the cost of medicine, medical services, and health insurance; yet the average citizen will attest to the fact that prices for all three have only been rising. Even more alarming, recent studies have shown that the average life span is shortening, lending evidence to the claim that more expensive healthcare has not led to better quality services or healthier lives.
In an economy where Americans struggle to put food on the table, paying for medicine and insurance is hardly a priority. The price of insurance has become so difficult to maintain that people would rather risk paying for the costs if they fall ill than shell out premium installments on a monthly basis. Although this predicament aims to be addressed by the upcoming healthcare exchange, the latter does not answer the question of why healthcare has become so impossible to afford. A close look at the distribution of wealth in the healthcare sector may provide some answers.
 |
| Image Source: nydailynews.com |
On average, non-medical hospital staff in America, such as members of the board and the hospital CEO, are found to be compensated a significant portion of the income- money that might instead go to improving facilities or reducing costs for patients. The pharmaceutical industry has also come under fire, as surveys showed that a drug in America will cost anywhere between three to eight times its price in other parts of the world. Where there is no blanket solution for this, it is clear that the government and healthcare sector need to re-arrange their financial priorities to alleviate the burden on the industry’s main client: its patients.
 |
| Image Source: fairobserver.com |
As an executive in the pharmaceutical industry for more than a decade, Mary Szela is in a good position to provide insights into the changes in medicine and healthcare. Visit this website for updates on the field.
