Amid the ongoing debate surrounding the United States’ deeply flawed and indefensible healthcare system because of the hoopla on recent events with the UnitedHealthcare CEO and his killer, here’s how I would initially approach the issue: by gaining a foundational, surface-level understanding and capturing the broader picture of the current landscape. This post serves as a starting point, with a more nuanced analysis (arm-chair approach) to follow in the next post.
In the meantime, I encourage you to examine the existing data critically. Apply skepticism, discernment, and rigorous inquiry — question the statistics, verify their accuracy, and challenge or agree with the interpretations and conclusions drawn from them. By doing so, we can foster a more informed and productive conversation about these pressing issues.
You know what they say, numbers don’t lie. But you can make numbers lie for you, which is intellectually dishonest, by misinterpreting or lying through data and statistics to fit your narrative, something that I’ve seen countless times. I believe Visual Capitalist gives a clearer picture than some of the statistics pushed out by others on social media.
If we are going to apply rationality and empirical data for policy changes and reform the healthcare industry, then reliable data and interpretation of the data are essential requirements.
Again, I want to hone in on the healthcare industry and all its moving pieces. You don’t have to believe me or anyone else comments about the U.S. terrible healthcare system. Just look at the data! This is more than individual bad choices and putting the blame solely on the individual. It is also a systemic issue.
Credit: Visual Capitalist.
I have always liked Visual Capitalist for combining data and visuals, which helps me understand the big picture that the state of the world is like.
VC helps paint the morbid picture of the healthcare industry in the U.S.
I used it to paint with a broad brush into people’s minds the sad state of the healthcare industry in the United States both its positive but mostly negatives.
What jumps out to me as one of the most jarring is the chart that depicts “price changes of consumer goods and services,” with hospital services at the top, followed by college tuition and college textbooks, and followed by medical care services. These are services that are far outpacing inflation when adjusted accordingly.
Isn’t it quite ironic that the prices of services that involve human well-being or growth, for their own sanity and higher quality of life, are the most expensive? Does government regulation or intervention coincide with this dilemma? These valuable immaterial services have far outpaced inflation and are the most expensive. Granted, the car and housing market has been in a mess for a while.
Note: A home is a fundamental necessity and an irreplaceable cornerstone of human life. A home provides the essential physical foundation or space for stability, safety, and well-being for an individual or a family.
Makes you wonder if we have to choose one of the extremes to resolve the rising cost of either complete universal healthcare (socialism) or privatizing all of the healthcare industry (capitalism) provided there are rules and regulations, strong enforcement for transparency, cracking down on any wrong-doing, and monopolistic tendencies. Or, should we continue with the mixed-version or economy of both?
In lobbying efforts, the healthcare industry, specifically big pharmaceutical, is number #1, far surpassing every other industry bar none. Lobbying is to influence policy changes one way or another with competing viewpoints.
This kind of visual that I presented is why I describe today as a Bizarro World in which absurdity and insanity have overwhelmed nearly every industry like healthcare. The argument that the issue began because of the pandemic, with the economic shutdown and government responses to it doesn’t hold water and is a half-truth. While the pandemic exacerbated many issues or exposed more clearly our systemic flaws, you could see the historical trend and where it was headed despite the COVID-19 global pandemic.
How could it be that the U.S. is one of the greatest economic powers in the world, and yet has a terrible healthcare system irrespective of the medical conditions that the population is suffering from? This conundrum or paradox is embarrassing and shameful.
Continue.
Medical debt has financially crippled a small portion of Americans (4–6% of the population), especially ages 34–49, and disproportionally affects higher the Black, Hispanic, and Other demographic.
As of the most recent population estimate in 2024, the total population of the United States is approximately 333 million people (source: U.S. Census Bureau).
So, about 20 million Americans are reported to have significant medical debt, based on the 6% figure.
But! And there is always a but, “The KFF polling found that 41% of adults have health care debt according to a broader definition, which includes health care debt on credit cards or owed to family members.”
Based on Figure 4, I asked chatGPT to help me comprehend what I was looking at.
Me: Can you help me make sense of this data, and break it down?
ChatGPT:
This chart shows the share of U.S. households with high medical debt, broken down by various factors, such as poverty status, ability to pay rent or mortgage, household net worth, health insurance coverage, and the health condition of household members. Let’s break it down:
1. All Households
- Total: 4.0% of U.S. households report having high medical debt.
2. Poverty Status
- Household income below the poverty threshold: 11.3% of these households have high medical debt.
Takeaway: Households living below the poverty line are disproportionately burdened by medical debt.
- Household income above the poverty threshold: 3.0% of these households have high medical debt.
Takeaway: While still affected, higher-income households are much less likely to face high medical debt.
3. Ability to Pay Rent or Mortgage
- Unable to pay rent or mortgage: 12.4% of these households report high medical debt.
Takeaway: Financial instability and housing challenges often correlate with higher medical debt.
- Able to pay rent or mortgage: 3.5% of these households have high medical debt.
Takeaway: Households with stable housing are significantly less likely to carry high medical debt.
4. Household Net Worth
- Negative or zero net worth: 14.0% of households in this category have high medical debt.
Takeaway: Households with no financial safety net are the most vulnerable to accumulating medical debt.
- $1 to $4,999: 2.5%.
- $5,000 to $9,999: 4.0%.
- $10,000 to $24,999: 2.8%.
- $25,000 to $49,999: 3.3%.
- $50,000 to $99,999: 2.9%.
- $100,000 to $249,999: 2.6%.
- $250,000 to $499,999: 1.5%.
- $500,000 and over: 0.7%.
Takeaway: The higher a household’s net worth, the less likely it is to experience high medical debt. Households with negative or negligible net worth are disproportionately affected.
5. Health Insurance Coverage
- Full health insurance coverage: 2.9% of these households report high medical debt.
Takeaway: Even with full insurance, some households struggle with medical debt.
- No or partial health insurance coverage: 8.5% of these households report high medical debt.
Takeaway: Lack of sufficient health insurance is a major driver of medical debt.
6. Any Poor or Fair Health
- At least one member with poor or fair health: 9.4% of these households have high medical debt.
Takeaway: Households with health challenges are much more likely to face medical debt.
- No member with poor or fair health: 2.0%.
Takeaway: Good health significantly reduces the likelihood of accumulating medical debt.
Me: The data said a total of 4.0% of U.S. households report having high medical debt. What is the number today?
ChatGPT:
Key Observations
- Income and wealth matter: Lower-income and low-net-worth households are hit hardest by medical debt.
- Health insurance is not a full safeguard: Even with full coverage, medical debt is still a reality for many.
- Health status drives debt: Poor health in a household significantly increases the likelihood of debt.
If you’d like, I can help write a deeper analysis of what this data implies about systemic issues in healthcare or other areas.
Currently, about 6% of adults in the United States report having significant medical debt, which includes over $1,000 owed, according to recent data from 2024. This figure represents approximately 14 million people. Additionally, 1% of adults, around 3 million, owe more than $10,000 in medical debt. Medical debt continues to disproportionately affect individuals in lower-income households, those with partial or no health insurance, and residents in certain states like South Dakota and Mississippi, where rates are notably higher
If you’d like, I can help with more details or explore trends over time. Let me know!
Some excerpts from an NBC article that was published before the 2024 presidential election:
The health system in the U.S. is failing, a startling new report finds.
The U.S. ranks as the worst performer among 10 developed nations in critical areas of health care, including preventing deaths, access (mainly because of high cost) and guaranteeing quality treatment for everyone, regardless of gender, income or geographic location, according to the report, published Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group.
Based on the new findings, people in the U.S. die the youngest and experience the most avoidable deaths, even though the country spends nearly twice as much — about 18% of gross domestic product — on health care than any other nation ranked.
Surveys indicate that health care is among the top priorities for voters in the November presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris has pitched building on the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Former President Donald Trump has given little detail about his health care vision; his running mate, JD Vance, has suggested deregulation.
Thursday’s findings show, the researchers say, that the U.S. spends the most but gets the least from its investment.
“No other country in the world expects patients and families to pay as much out of pocket for essential health care as they do in the U.S.,” Dr. Joseph Betancourt, the president of The Commonwealth Fund, said on a call Wednesday discussing the new findings.
Ironically, the steep price people pay doesn’t guarantee superior care.
“We are undersupplied with the things that people need most,” including doctors and hospital beds, Dr. David Blumenthal, the former president of The Commonwealth Fund, said on the call. “That’s one of the reasons why you have to wait so long in the United States for specialty care and one of the reasons why no one can find a primary care physician.”
The researchers said the U.S. stood out for its “exceptionally weak” performance.
It ranked last or near last in every category except one — care process — in which it ranked second behind New Zealand. Care process measures things like preventive services, including mammograms and flu vaccinations, and engagement with patients.
The complex labyrinth of hospital bills, insurance disputes and out-of-pocket requirements that patients and doctors are forced to navigate put the U.S. second to last in administrative efficiency.
“We have so many different insurers, each of which is selling a different product with different requirements in order for physicians or hospitals and other providers to get paid and for the patients to have their care covered,” Blumenthal said. “That leads to denial of service. It leads to bargaining that goes on between doctors and hospitals and insurers’ companies.”
Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said the findings align with other research consistently ranking the U.S. near the bottom of peer countries on nearly all leading health indicators, including life expectancy, child and maternal mortality, access to health care and equity.
Many of America’s most vulnerable, including racial minorities and people with low incomes, are uninsured or underinsured, Gostin noted. Given the high cost of medical services, many people delay or avoid care.
“The United States provides perhaps the most advanced medical treatments in the world, but only for those who can afford it,” Gostin said. “For far too many people, high-quality medical care is out of reach.”
Dr. Adam Gaffney, a critical care physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, pointed out that the U.S. differs from the other countries in one critical area: universal health care coverage.
“A universal health care system can make a difference,” Gaffney said, “not only because everyone is covered and can see a doctor when they need to, but because they have a long-standing health care provider who can provide counsel and advice and treatment and prevention of common conditions.”
The U.S. has ranked last in previous Commonwealth Fund reports, but the researchers tried to avoid direct comparisons from report to report because they change the questions and the countries that participate.
Thursday’s report also listed solutions to the country’s health care problems, including lowering the cost of care and expanding access to coverage.
President Trump Remarks on Health Care.
September 24, 2020.
President Trump delivered remarks in Charlotte, North Carolina, laying out his health care plan. The president stated that his plan has three pillars to it. The first pillar is more choice for patients, while the second pillar is lower health care costs for families and seniors. The third pillar is “better choice for American patients,” which includes “the first ever executive order to affirm it is official policy of the United States government to protect patients with preexisting conditions.
https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-remarks-on-health-care/553586
ChatGPT:
Donald Trump’s Healthcare and Policy Vision: An Overview of Key Initiatives
In a speech highlighting the accomplishments and ambitions of his administration, Donald Trump presented a wide-ranging vision of healthcare reform, medical innovation, and public policy. The speech underscored his administration’s efforts to tackle issues such as substance abuse, veteran care, and chronic diseases, while criticizing past administrations for their inaction. The address also focused on rebuilding domestic production in the pharmaceutical sector and implementing significant regulatory changes to enhance medical advancements.
Expanding Access to Treatment and Care
A central theme of Trump’s speech was improving access to healthcare for underserved populations. The administration launched FindTreatment.gov, a resource to connect individuals with substance abuse disorders to treatment facilities. Trump touted the success of the Right to Try legislation, which allows critically ill patients to access experimental treatments not yet approved by the FDA. He argued that these measures provided a lifeline to many Americans, bypassing bureaucratic obstacles.
The administration also emphasized its work on expanding telehealth services, particularly in rural areas where access to medical care is limited. Trump pointed to this expansion as a critical step in modernizing healthcare and addressing disparities in the system.
Ambitions to Eliminate HIV/AIDS
Another cornerstone of Trump’s speech was his administration’s initiative to eradicate HIV/AIDS in the United States. He noted that the program aimed to achieve this goal within ten years, and significant progress had already shortened the timeline to six years. Trump criticized prior administrations for not initiating such efforts sooner, framing his administration’s actions as a bold and overdue step forward.
Supporting Veterans Through Policy Changes
Veterans’ healthcare was another major focus. Trump highlighted the signing of VA Choice legislation, which allows veterans to seek care outside the VA system, and VA Accountability, enabling the dismissal of employees who fail to provide quality care to veterans. Additionally, his administration launched a 24-hour veteran suicide hotline and took executive actions to address veteran mental health. These measures were framed as efforts to ensure that veterans receive the care and respect they deserve.
Addressing Surprise Medical Billing and Reducing Costs
Trump turned his attention to financial challenges in healthcare, particularly surprise medical billing. He shared anecdotes, including one involving a patient who received unexpected bills amounting to thousands of dollars despite having insurance. He vowed to end this practice and emphasized his administration’s commitment to lowering healthcare costs overall.
He also celebrated reductions in healthcare premiums for families like Julia Straw Topless’s, whose family saw their premiums drop by over 40%. These examples were presented as evidence of the administration’s success in making healthcare more affordable and accessible.
Advancing Medical Innovation
The speech highlighted Trump’s determination to drive medical breakthroughs in areas such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, sickle cell disease, and cancer. He discussed efforts to improve care for kidney disease patients by enabling at-home dialysis and supporting the development of artificial kidneys. Trump characterized these initiatives as transformative and life-saving.
To accelerate medical innovation, Trump’s administration lifted bureaucratic barriers and emphasized the need for American self-reliance in producing medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. He promised to bring pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the U.S., including regions like Puerto Rico and states such as North Carolina. This initiative aimed to bolster domestic industries and reduce reliance on foreign production.
Critique of Democratic Policies
Throughout the speech, Trump drew contrasts between his administration’s policies and those of the Democratic Party. He criticized what he described as a “Democrat Socialist agenda,” accusing it of stifling innovation through excessive regulation. He also blamed Joe Biden for tax policies in 1996 that he claimed destroyed Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical industry. Trump positioned his policies as pro-growth and pro-American, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to putting “America First.”
Conclusion: A Vision for the Future
Donald Trump concluded his speech with optimism, promising continued advancements in healthcare and policy. By combining personal stories, policy achievements, and ambitious goals, the speech sought to portray his administration as a champion of American innovation, healthcare reform, and economic revitalization. The overarching message was one of progress and resilience, with Trump positioning his administration as uniquely capable of addressing the nation’s healthcare and policy challenges.
This address not only reflected Trump’s policy priorities but also set the stage for further action, with promises to deliver better healthcare outcomes and restore American leadership in medical and pharmaceutical innovation.
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