How bad is the American healthcare system?

Max Baucus

Not a day goes by without some more news about the American healthcare reform bill, and the debate is getting more and more heated. But as New University states, this conversation is happening because, "our healthcare system is broken."

An independent UN committee has ranked the United States 37th in the world in terms of the quality of healthcare. This is behind Morocco, and barely ahead of Castro's Cuba. In terms of the developed world, America has the least efficient system. France, the nation with the highest-ranked system, spends about half the amount that America spends per person - and they actually insure everybody.

The fact that America is ranked 37th in the terms of quality healthcare, is a shocking statistic. In that sense, the healthcare system does need to be reformed. But it is now being claimed, that the healthcare reform that Max Baucus is proposing, could actually make things worse, as it is being said that they are in the process of selling out to the insurance companies.

The entire insurance debate has been centered on one thing: the public option. By offering a government-run public insurance option at a lower price, private companies will be forced to lower rates or lose business. Without a public option, there would be no incentive for insurance companies to lower rates. Any bill signed by Obama that does not contain a public option would be a huge victory for the insurance companies.

The Baucus bill does include some vitally-needed reforms. In the reform, it would make it illegal for companies to drop coverage when people get sick or deny insurance to those with pre-existing conditions.

Yet, where's the public option? The answer - you won't find one in the Baucus bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who will have to endorse the bill that the Senate eventually send to President Obama, has also shown no desire to introduce a public option.

This means the Baucus bill would allow insurance companies to continue charging what they want. The bill would also force more Americans to buy into these sub-par policies. Obama has stated that in America, "Nobody should go broke because they get sick." But in the opinion of some, the Baucus bill could mean that there are more health-related bankruptcies.

According to New University, Baucus is not the ideal man for this job. His bill was supposed to be the one that contained enough compromises to pass, but what he is proposing goes too far, especially in the context of a Senate body controlled by the Democratic Party.

Unfortunately, even Obama has flinched on his support for the public option. Even though many Americans elected Obama precisely to reform health care, it appears that he so anxious to pass a bill that content has become a secondary goal, which could make the whole endeavor worthless.

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