Compare and contrast public and private health insurance. Describe the extent to which U.S. citizens do not have health insurance. Explain why a large percentage of U.S. citizens do not have health insurance, including the groups who are least likely and most likely to have health insurance.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• Private Health Insurance: Costly to begin with, fee-for-service health care became even more so with the development of the health insurance industry. For the foreseeable future, employer-funded HMOs and PPOs are likely to remain somewhat the same. But in the long run, what happens to the Affordable Care Act and to public health insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid will no doubt affect all of health insurance coverage. The rich get the best healthcare.
• Public Health Insurance: Though lack of health insurance may contribute to serious health problems, one of the greatest issues is that people either delay seeing a health professional or do not receive needed medical care because of cost. Those requiring help from public health insurance cause crowding within the system, overcrowding of the ER to get routine healthcare, lack of continuity of care.