Health Care
Currently our health care system is costing the American taxpayers over 15% of GDP and the growth rate is staggering. Taxpayers pay for the poor through Medicaid and the elderly through Medicare with few limitations. The vast majority of Americans are left to purchase health insurance through the private sector with some receiving subsidies based on income. Meanwhile, your emergency room bill will be cheaper if you have no insurance.
America is well known across the world as a place for innovation in health care. Though other countries have reduced overall health care costs by moving to a single payer system, their citizens know they can fly over and get a procedure done in America that their country will not support in a timely manner. We need to build a system that continues innovating in major procedures while providing free basic healthcare to keep our country productive.
Free basic healthcare means you walk into a community treatment center for annual checkups, flu shots, colds, strep, blood work, contraceptives, prenatal care, or nearly everything you would expect your family doctor to handle, and you walk out with no bill. They may write a prescription or recommend seeking out a specialist in the private sector. These centers bill the government directly to cover operating costs and are subject to annual audits to maintain standards of care. Overall, the percent of GDP devoted to healthcare will rise, but the growth rate should level off.
Additionally, health insurance can be purchased through employers or on a nationwide exchange to cover procedures that you would not expect your local family doctor to handle. Coverage will vary drastically, as well as cost, but lifesaving emergency care and childbirth (for women) are required minimums. There are no subsidies and no care without insurance. It can be your choice not to receive help.
