Can Biden Pull The Current Healthcare System Out From Its Miserable Condition?

Given the ongoing pandemic and many that hit the US economy in the past, it’s impossible to keep healthcare infrastructure out of the debate, especially when the presidential elections are around the corner.

Total healthcare expenditure incurred by the Trump government in 2017 was about $3.6 trillion, 18% of the GDP. In 2020, the figure is expected to touch $8.12 trillion, out of which the federal government funds $ 4.79 trillion. These numbers look huge if compared with other nations; however, the ground reality says something else.

A recent international survey revealed that 16% of the participants believe the nation requires minor changes in the healthcare infrastructure. A whopping 32% of participants showed a complete dissatisfaction and said that it needs to be rebuilt completely.

President Trump has stressed upon strengthening the healthcare system time and time again in his speeches, but still, people don’t seem to be happy with how things are going. Their hopes have started shifting towards Joe Biden, the Democratic Presidential Nominee for the upcoming elections.

Let’s find out the actual pain points, the US public is concerned about, and if Joe Biden can address them adequately.

Heather Jones and her husband come from the film and television production industry, which was shut down almost five months ago as soon as the COVID-19 hit the nation. Right before the lockdown, the couple got their four-year-old son Harmon treated for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

After a series of surgeries, radiation, and chemo, their son survived, and at present undergoing MRIs, blood work, CT scans, and physical therapy. Harmon’s brother and Jones’ elder son Win has had multiple therapies to cope with the emotional trauma caused by his brother’s deteriorating health condition.

The family was somehow managing expenses until a fresh set of changes to their union-provided health insurance were announced. The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan’s premiums were increased overnight on August 12. Besides, the minimum threshold to qualify for this plan were raised by a whopping 44% to $25,950. The decision came when COVID-19 had already put Heather and her husband’s career at a halt.

This is one of the many cases that show how health insurance providers are using COVID-19 to increase their profits at the cost of thousands of people’s lives. Government’s failure to take action against such corporates has filled people with anger, uncertainty, and helplessness.

Senior citizens are in a much worse situation at the moment as compared to those who still have time for retirement. They were barely managing to survive on a fixed monthly income before the COVID-19 and lockdown snatched their side income opportunities away.

Now that the health insurance premiums and minimum threshold amount are about to get increased, most people above the age of 60 are worried whether they’ll continue to receive the healthcare support like before or not.

It’s evident that after the changes proposed by many leading insurance companies, seniors health insurance cost is likely to go high significantly. On top of it, President Trump’s intended cuts to food stamps, Medicaid, rental assistance, social security, and other similar programs in next year’s budget will exacerbate their lives.

These programs help thousands of seniors keep housed, fed, and protected from abuse. If the announcement made by Trump is regularised, many senior citizens will be left helpless.

The only apparent solution to fix the current broken healthcare system in the US seems to be Joe Biden who says the proposed healthcare cut is inhuman, and that he’ll work hard to prevent it from getting legalised. If elected, he will allow senior citizens to use Medicaid for paying community-based or home-based care.

Biden has also proposed to create a tax credit for caregivers to pay for their long-term care.

Some of the other proposals by Biden include lowering down medicare age to 60, installing a medicare-like option run by the government, boosting the affordable care act, stopping surprise billing, and reforming drug prescription that drove the employer-sponsored health costs to record highs in the past.

Despite the number of claims President Trump made about improving the healthcare infrastructure in the US, he either failed to make any changes or discarded them eventually.

Amid the worst pandemic the country has seen in decades, Biden has given hopes to 331 million US citizens, many of whom are dependent on the government-sponsored healthcare schemes. It’s a matter of months before we know if he gets a chance to work on his promises or not.

Stay tuned for more updates.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes