The Real Reason U.S. Health Care is Broken

There’s little debate that the US health care system is at least somewhat broken. While we do some things very well, Americans spend far more on health care than citizens of most other industrialized nations, and the overall results are not great (considering the massive investment).  Layer in the raging debate about health insurance, including the rising costs, a lack of universal coverage, and the impact on key social programs, and it’s clear why many experts see health care as a top threat to the future of the U.S. economy and our overall well-being as a nation.

Rather than regurgitate the various details of our shortcomings in this area – there are thousands of great articles, interviews, and books on the topic – I want to point out the root cause of our health care issues.  As is the case with most challenges, it’s not one person or even one ideology.  It’s our entirely broken political system.

Both chambers of Congress, as well as the White House, are perpetually filled with folks that have lost sight of what’s in the best long-term interests of all Americans. Our “representatives” are beholden to the special interests and a political party that help them get elected and re-elected. #sad

1. Insurance companies, drug companies, hospital systems, doctors groups and others contribute too much money and support to political campaigns and PACs to allow for objectively-derived policy. Its borderline criminal behavior to have our representatives bought and sold in this way, especially when the well-being of our citizens (and economy) rely on making the hard decisions necessary to right the health care ship.
2. Furthermore, the two increasingly polarized and antagonistic political parties refuse to cooperate and compromise on almost any matters of substance. How are we supposed to cut costs, improve care, reduce opioid-related deaths and ensure widespread coverage for folks (especially kids) when Reps and Dems seemed obsessed with ensuring the destruction/preservation of a relatively half-baked healthcare initiative, i.e. the ACA.  If we put all that energy into constructively creating a balanced approach and solution, we make incredible progress here. (As opposed to the embarrassing pissing match and inability to serve our people.)

BOTTOM LINE: While these are massively complex problems, they are solvable.  Unless you tie one hand behind your collective back by pledging allegiance to the very special interests that will likely suffer the steepest setbacks as part of fixing our overall health care system. And you then cut off the other hand by refusing to work closely with your enemies, i.e. the other ~half of our representatives. It’s childish, selfish and unfortunately the basis of our current political environment.  Until we start electing independent and unencumbered leaders in DC, you will see very little long-term progress against issues like health care, gun control, tax reform, etc.  [And before you go pointing fingers at the ‘other side’, let’s be clear…over the past 20+ years, both parties in each chamber as well as the White House, are at fault here.]