“Eds and meds” are the two biggest sectors touted as urban revitalizers. It seems to make sense because both schools and hospitals provide well paying jobs. Yet while hospitals are providing decent jobs for some, they’re leaving most people with high bills and sub-standard care. What we truly need to revitalize our cities is universal healthcare.
We’ll have to wait in line, care will be worse, or it’ll cost too much are common arguments against universal healthcare. However, according to a recent Reuters article, “Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the most compared to five other rich countries.”
For example, Americans spend twice what Germans do–$6,102 per capita vs. $3,005 per capita–and receive poorer service. Additionally, we leave 45 million Americans uninsured, which means they don’t receive preventative care thus raising long-term costs.
All the money we’re spending for healthcare isn’t going towards the latest technology to keep us safe. Our doctors are, “the least wired, with the lowest percentage using electronic medical records or receiving electronic updates on recommended treatments.”
Not only does health care cost too much in the U.S. — it also drives many Americans to financial ruin. Studies show that massive medical bills are the main reason most individuals file for bankruptcy (not credit card debt or other forms of debt). With the new laws regulating bankruptcy filing, a lot of people crippled by medical debt due to lack of health insurance can no longer even get the (tenuous) relief afforded by filing for bankruptcy.