1. There were two stories in the film that resonated with me the most. First, the story about how insurance companies search for small things in people’s insurance applications so they can have a reason to deny the policy or increase rates, no matter how much the money is needed. The story about Julie Pierce and her husband Traci was really a heartbreaking story. Even though they had health insurance, they denied medication and care that he needed.
Although he found a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant it didn’t really matter because the insurance company denied the procedure and as a result he died from not being able to get the proper treatment. This story is really disappointing because it shows how insurance companies try everything to deny a patient’s policy so they won’t have to pay for his or her care even though they are paying for it. It’s like they are making the decisions on who and what is worthy of their money.
Another story that stood out to me was the one told about how hospitals came up with a way to deal with patients who did not have health insurance or could not afford to pay their hospital bill. It was shocking to learn that they would arrange for a taxi to drop patients off in unknown areas no matter what their condition was. 2. When it comes to making sense of the inequalities between ordinary people’s lives in this country and in the countries featured in the film there are many factors that can be taken into consideration.
It could be because of the government, what the American people are willing to do, or focusing on what our money is really being spent on, here in the U. S. Compared to some other countries we have far more resources and still we are not willing to grant people the care they need or deserve in their times of need. Maybe we as Americans don’t think that we should pay even more taxes to take care of others that need health care and may not be able to afford.
We pay taxes for criminals to have prisons to be housed in and many other things but I guess people think that others will not appreciate it and use it because they know that it is available. The people in the countries featured in the film believe that universal health care is great, but in the US some people may want this but not all. In other countries featured, doctors focus on helping the people but in the US it just seems as if most of them are thinking about getting paid.
3. According to the film, some major problems in the United States’ health care system are the power given to insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, Congress, and the quality of care given by doctors to patients. When it comes to the issue of these problems being fixed many Americans may agree that they should be addressed and fixed immediately but it’s like we mention them one day and the next we’re focusing on something else.
The system hasn’t been fixed because health insurance companies deny patients based on stipulations they have set up because they look for ways to not have to pay for patients’ care, pharmaceutical companies focus on charging what they want for medicine and some members of congress and some doctors are focused on earnings rather than focusing on the people. The bulk of Americans that are not insured are the poorer citizens and if the health care system will focus on everyone’s problems then maybe we can see an improvement in the healthcare system.