Two Novel Pathways to Universal Health Coverage in the United States – A Physician’s Perspective

Abstract

The United States’ health system is fragmented, opaque and too costly. Despite the 2010 enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) with subsequent enrollment of millions of formerly uninsured Americans, true Universal Health Coverage remains a dubious specter with an uncertain future. In 2022, 27.6 million Americans of all ages did not have health insurance. The uncompensated cost for healthcare services to the uninsured is estimated to average between $30 to 50 billion per year. Sadly, most uninsured Americans are people of color and people from low-income families with at least one worker in the family. Aside from personal tragedies falling upon uninsured Americans including bankruptcy, poor medical care, emotional and mental hardship, pending bills have to be paid eventually by someone. Notwithstanding federal and state governments chiming in, it is in the end the common taxpayer who pays for the lack of Universal Health Coverage. Hence, it is in the best interest of our society as a whole to elicit financially sound pathways to accomplish the longawaited objective of Universal Health Coverage in the United States.