Rising Cost Of Health Care Essay

Healthcare access in the United States has been limited to many due to the rising costs and geographical maldistribution of services. Healthcare costs have been steadily rising over the last decade and are the highest in the world. The rising cost in the United States can be due many factors including the demand of the elderly for health care, the increases in hospital expenses and fees for health care professionals, and higher prices for health insurances and prescription drugs (Cockerham 2017: 361). The rising costs of health care can affect families in various ways, especially their finances. The family’s share of the health insurance premium, out of pocket expenses like co-pays and deductibles, an employer’s share of the health insurance premium, and the portion of federal and state taxes devoted to government health programs (such as Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ health care, and public health) (Auerbach and Kellermann 2011). There are still many that can not afford health insurance and do not seek the help they need due to this.

The shortage of physicians in rural and urban slums have hindered the care available to the individuals living there (Cockerham 2017: 377). Health professionals tend to locate in more urban and suburban areas. They also have a tendency to avoid urban areas that consist of residents with low income and education. Cockerham states that, “physicians in private practices are seldom found in neighborhoods characterized by large numbers of poor and nonwhite residents” (Cockerham 2017: 377). Physicians are also specializing in more areas therefore reducing the number of primary care and family