What America spends on health care every year surpasses a trillion dollars and indeed boggles the mind. That is despite the 2010 US legislation that moved the country a lot closer to offering free universal healthcare for most of her citizens. In fact, in 2016 alone, the figures hit a whopping $3.4 trillion, a figure so enormous it is hard to decipher.

As per a report by the American Medical Association, Chronic and often preventable ills are the ones driving the costs beyond the roof. Diabetes leads the list with $101 billion spending followed by heart disease and neck pain, both amassing $88 billion annually. Yet spending rises aren’t uniform since the figure spent on diabetes has been rising by at least 6% annually for the last two decades, unlike heart disease’s 0.2%.

But How Much Does an Average American Spends?

Well, crazy as the amounts are and the US being the most significant spender on health care all over the world, it is worth noting that the universal health care isn’t available to each person just yet. About 26 million have no health insurance cover and stand to suffer the subsequent penalty, as per the law.

At the moment, the over $3.4 trillion chucked off every American’s taxes a year for medical care is just saddening considering the less-than-impressive results they’re afforded. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that the amount spent by an individual is more than twice the per capita average paid by a person of other first-world nations. In 2007, the average per person was $7,700 while 2017’s average spending was $9,596. In 2016, the average annual costs per person hit $10,345.

Did you know that according to readersupportednews.org, an MRI costs just $1,080 in America, unlike France’s $280?

Of course, the figures can’t lie given the now universal culture of preferring luxury and prestige when appointing a medical facility rather than what matters the most – affordable health care. But the little Americans can do is to hope and pray Donald Trump promise to “repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act” and instead offer something better comes to pass.

Where the High Costs Stem From

Without a doubt, the prime drivers of health-care spending amongst Americans vary considerably. For instance, though buying pills over-the-counter, pretty much like what the Steroid Sale Guide advocates for cover more than half of the entire costs. Moreover, adults consume more of the spent amount with more than 70% covering what is aimed at solving low back and neck pains.

Most of the conversations regarding where the high health care costs emanate from a focus on access to insurance since it is what Obamacare advocated for. Sadly, it is the very same insurers that charge ridiculous fees.

According to CNN, when Jeffrey Kivi’s rheumatologist decided to switch to a different hospital within his New York, he didn’t know the costs would rise in undecipherable levels. The value slapped on his insurer for outpatient infusions for six weeks of his arthritis increased insanely. Paying $100,000 up from $19,000 yet paying for the same dose, same drugs, just because the newer facility had free cookies, Wi-Fi and bottled water is irrational.

Another case that’s even more ridiculous involved Marvina White. She had booked a minor elective outpatient surgery to remove a bothersome cyst on her hand at her doctor’s small facility, owing to the doctor’s availability. The procedure was done at a mini-clinic with two operating rooms and 16 small private suites. But she still had to fork out an outrageous $11,000 as operating room fee, instead of $2,000.

The Best Solution to This Fast-Rising Mess

Speaking from the of economics point of view, innovations and remarkable breakthroughs in the medical world ought to bring the prices down. Moreover, competition owing to more manufacturers of drugs, pills, and steroids entering the field should also favor patients and clients. Basically, it should be a phenomenon whereby purchaser-prescribers choose from alternatives.

Unfortunately, it is precisely the opposite in the US, irrespective of whether it is how the pharmaceuticals price medicines or the treatment costs leveled by medics. It is a phenomenon called “Sticky Pricing” since prices of competitor medical services are rising in tandem. Simply put, a hospital succeeds getting away with charging exorbitantly high prices, providing cover for others to follow suit even when the technology employed isn’t extraordinary.

Whether it is Medicare, Medicaid, Private Health Insurance or Out-of-Pocket spending, the very same high costs are somewhat unavoidable. And so, the best solution could be to find a facility that offers the same quality services at a far much cheaper expense. You are a patient only in need of medical services, not a vacationer looking for free Wi-Fi, coffee, concierge services and executive hospitality.

Better yet, faced with prices that feel a lot like extortion, you can find a simple way out. Kivi chose to inject himself at home and keep the costs down. FDA approved medicines and legal steroids available online or at that Chemist shop across the street can do an awesome job. However, ensure you follow your doctor’s guidelines while using them lest the situation gets out of hand.

Sources and References

1. http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/26/opinions/us-health-care-prices-rosenthal-opinion/index.html

2. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/23/heres-how-much-the-average-american-spends-on-health-care.html

3. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2017/jul/25/us-healthcare-system-vs-other-countries