Part One: Is Health Policy as Captivating as the Oscars?
- L.N.
- Apr 10, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 21, 2024
I want to share my passion for policy with you, let's hope it works...
At this point, we have all witnessed, read, or laughed at an Oscars meme in the past couple of weeks. But as we debate critically about the rights and wrongs of #theslap, far more pressing concerns flood our news outlets.
While I would love nothing more than for this post to be as hilarious as a Cardi B nail salon interview with Bernie Sanders on the nuanced state of healthcare in America, I have a different approach to engaging this issue with you and it requires time. This is only part one.
I mean what do we really know about health policy anyway?
The basics:
Policy: a set of standing rules to guide actions +
Health: a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being =
Health Policy: actions taken to affect health
How many of you remember when the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a Obamacare, passed?
Idk about you, but I was too young to understand what in the world Obamacare was, let alone the impact it had on me and my family. Still, the ACA is an example of a health policy that helped a lot of people get health insurance.
Unfortunately, it was not all it was cracked up to be. Healthcare was and still is very much unaffordable.
Today, over 31 million people are living uninsured. This number is overwhelmingly shocking considering the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic and those refusing to receive care. I mean, imagine your car becomes completely totaled and you have no insurance to help pay for it. What do you do now, walk everywhere? Our health is a bit different but the concept is pretty much the same. So why are so many of us living without insurance? Dollar, dollar bills y’all. Half the time people cannot afford to get insurance, let alone pay hundreds of dollars a month for them. Healthcare is a business. Policies, though, should help us solve this "price crisis". However, as much as policy can be used for good, it is also a dangerous tool when in the wrong hands.
Just this past week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to impose a price cap on insulin for the insured--- from about $100/unit to $35/month. Yeah, you know, the lifesaving drug for people with diabetes.
SUPER expensive right? While this is an example of good policy, there are still heavy ‘small p’ politics at play that may keep it from becoming law. A frivolity I just do not have the time to get into right now. As a health policy student, I joined the crusade to change the narrative around how we can better access and afford healthcare (& I have a few progressive ideas you will soon come to learn).
As I said, this issue takes time. For now, enjoy this funny, yet realistic, video of Britans reacting to US healthcare prices, and let me know what you think below!
*L.N. Approved*
Good Reads:
Healing Politics by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed
An American Sickness by Elizabeth Rosenthal
Thank you for really breaking down health policies for those not in the field! I feel like some kids who have parents that can afford healthcare don't understand what it's like to go to urgent care and pay A LOT on money in comparison to a $40 copay. Great post!
Obama was just at the White House talking about this too and the anniversary of the ACA. Perfect timing for a post like this!
Really great post! The person in the video talking about the epi pen monopoly is sooo me 😭 I have one and I bring that monopoly up all the time. I related a lot to that. I’m anxious to see how the insulin bill does! It always blows me away how cheap/ free these services CAN be!
This was so informative, I never knew! The girl from the video said " if you're poor, you're dead." And that's a truth universally acknowledged. Danggg the health system truly is a business but why gamble on human lives. This is so crazy! Thanks for this piece!!!!