Kayla Hui Nicole Cardoza Kayla Hui Nicole Cardoza

Advocate for universal healthcare.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 7.7 million workers had lost their jobs (Commonwealth Fund). Health insurance had left with, leaving millions of people uninsured during a global pandemic (Business Insider). Not only has the pandemic exposed the inequitable healthcare system, but has underscored the need for universal healthcare, or medicare, for all.

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Today we're diving into the importance of universal healthcare, one of several political changes we'll be advocating for this month during the political shift.

As the inauguration nears, please be sure to take care of yourself and your community. Revisit our election safety plan and learn more about the priorities of community organizers where you live.

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Nicole

TAKE ACTION

  • Advocate for healthcare reform on social media.

  • Participate in elections at all levels by educating yourself about and voting for candidates that want health care for all.

  • Support and consider donating to organizations that are advocating for universal healthcare policies and reform such as Healthcare-NOW and Community Catalyst.

GET EDUCATED

By Kayla Hui (she/her)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 7.7 million workers had lost their jobs (Commonwealth Fund). Health insurance had left with, leaving millions of people uninsured during a global pandemic (Business Insider). Not only has the pandemic exposed the inequitable healthcare system, but has underscored the need for universal healthcare, or medicare, for all.

Universal healthcare is a system that provides all people - regardless of financial need - access to health care services and resources such as preventative care, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care (World Health Organization). Over the past few decades, the United States has witnessed skyrocketing healthcare costs, which has prevented people from seeking or delaying care. 

In 2018, the U.S. spent $3.6 trillion on healthcare, the highest of any other nation. These costs are expected to rise to $6.2 trillion by 2028 (Peter G. Peterson Foundation). Healthcare costs remain high because the U.S. relies on a free market where hospitals have the authority to set their prices. Because a free market relies on capitalism, when healthcare is in high demand, prices can surge. So access to medical care, especially during a pandemic, is strenuous, especially for those who can’t afford to see a doctor. “When a society is seriously concerned about its people having equitable access to care and about polling health risks efficiently, the free market is not a good choice,” Jui Fen, Rachel Lu, and William C. Hsiao state in an online article. (Health Affairs). The high healthcare costs – especially during a pandemic where a scarcity of resources exists – are what makes the U.S. healthcare system inequitable and systemically racist. 

In 2019, BIPOC communities had the highest uninsured rates, leaving them vulnerable to existing health conditions prior to the pandemic (Kaiser Family Foundation). People who are uninsured are three times more likely than insured adults to say they have not had a doctor’s visit to discuss their health (Kaiser Family Foundation). They are also less likely to receive recommended screenings such as blood pressure, cholesterol, pap smears, mammograms, and colon cancer screenings (Kaiser Family Foundation). When a disease or health condition is left untreated, the health consequences can be dire especially for those with chronic illnesses. 

When looking at the COVID-19 pandemic, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color have been disproportionately impacted (The COVID Tracking Project and Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research). Nationwide, Black people are dying at 1.7 times the rate of white people with Native and Hispanic and Latino people trailing not too far behind. 

One of the main reasons why millions of people lost health insurance is because of a flaw in the system: employer-based insurance (EBI). EBI is a system where health insurance is tied to employment instead of being provided by the government. In the U.S., health is not a guaranteed right. Rather, it is a commodity, an “add on for an extra dollar” if you will expense, and only those most privileged to afford its exorbitant costs will reap the benefits and have healthier outcomes - preventative screenings to catch diseases early on, access to the medical care they need when they are sick, can afford to see a doctor any time of year, etc. 

Historically, the use of preventative health services has been low, especially among BIPOC, the uninsured, and low-income communities (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). It’s not that people don’t want to get these screenings, it's that they can’t afford to. Nearly one in four people in the U.S. are skipping medical care because of the cost (CNBC). If the U.S. adopted preventative measures such as cancer screenings, approximately 100,000 lives could be saved each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).

So how did EBI come to be? In 1943, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled that employer-based health care should be tax-free (National Public Radio). However, by the 1950s, after a decade of growth, the Eisenhower administration reserved tax-free status for employers only. Since then, employer contributions to health insurance would be tax-free. By the mid-1960s, people started to equate a good job with health care benefits. Thus, EBI was born. 

This decision created a burdensome challenge when the pandemic forced a national shutdown, especially for those working jobs that require  in-person contact. While grocery and essential workers were allowed to remain open through plexiglass installation and COVID-19 safety guidelines, other workers were not as lucky, including my parents (NPR). The banquet halls where my mother and grandmother worked, shut down indefinitely. Pre-pandemic, my mother and popo (grandmother in Chinese) would carry plates of catered food to hundreds of guests during proms, weddings, and business conferences. As those functions got canceled, so did my family’s health insurance. 

“Dear Diane, the table below shows the last day you and/or your dependent(s) have healthcare coverage,” I read to my parents. While the letter was highly-anticipated, the gravity of our situation didn’t sink in until I processed what the lack of health insurance would mean for me and my family. Because my two sisters and I were dependents under our mother’s insurance, we too, had lost coverage, leaving five members in my immediate family without health insurance. I was most worried about my popo, who lives with chronic respiratory illness and asthma. The stress and uncertainty of our health insurance coverage doesn’t just affect my family but millions of BIPOC and low-income households. 

In 2018, 66% of U.S. adults had stated that the cost of health insurance was a stressor for themselves and loved ones (American Psychological Association). If the U.S. adopted universal healthcare coverage, 137 million people would not have to face medical hardship, struggle to pay their medical bills, or incur medical debt (Medpage Today). In addition, the country would save 13% in national healthcare expenditures which totals $450 billion annually. (U.S. News). Patients would have the freedom to choose their doctors and hospitals without bearing the cost of high premiums, copayments, and deductibles. 

Adopting universal health care would require a redesign of the U.S.health care payment infrastructure. It would require a mix of private insurance (for those who can afford it) and quality public services while weighing cost, access, quality, and equity (ProPublica). In the beginning of 2020, 43.4% of U.S. adults were inadequately insured (The Commonwealth Fund). While some argue that universal healthcare would look like medicare for all, we know that the current system we have does not work and the cost of human life is at stake without health insurance coverage. 

The fight to expand healthcare for all has been a debate that predated COVID-19. In order to achieve “good” health, people must have access to the resources that will keep them healthy. Universal healthcare shouldn’t be a controversial issue because healthcare is a human right and it is the basis for which people can live and lead healthy and happier lives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Employer-based insurance is a flawed component of the United States healthcare system, only benefiting those who are able to access “good” jobs. 

  • By implementing universal healthcare in the U.S., everyone, regardless of financial status, would be offered essential healthcare services. 

  • BIPOC and low-income communities bear the burden of disease and health disparities in the United States. They are more likely than white people to be uninsured. 

RELATED ISSUES

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