The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, and yet all that spending does not produce better health outcomes for Americans compared to citizens of other developed nations. In fact, in recent comparisons of population health in 11 high-income countries, the United States ranked last. Although the Affordable Care Act, often known as Obamacare, extended access to health care to millions of Americans, it did not ensure that every citizen would have regular access to medical care they could afford. The question of whether access to health care is a basic human right or a privilege to be earned is one of the most divisive issues facing the country. Although a majority of the public believes government has a responsibility to ensure all citizens have access to health care, agreement on the issue is split along party lines. And even among those who agree that governments are responsible for providing health care access, divisions remain about the most appropriate system for making medical care available.
Credit: Sol Garcia, Fall 2021 Intern