Why Does Health Care Cost So Much?
By Shannon Brownlee, July & August 2008
Even as millions aren’t getting treatments they vitally need, a leading medical journalist argues that the main culprit in the soaring cost of American health care is actually overtreatment… and all that extra care is making us sick
Find out what you can do to reduce your health care costs. See the box "Keep Your Costs Down" below.
Sandy and Charlie Murphy never imagined that paying for health care could put everything they owned at risk.
In 2002 the Murphys and their two sons were living a comfortable middle-class life in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Charlie, now 59, worked as a manager for Charles Schwab and where Sandy, now 60, was a part-time child advocate for the state. Then, in rapid succession, Charlie got laid off; Sandy quit to care for a son with health problems; Charlie discovered that his new employer set a $100,000 cap on lifetime medical-claim payments, necessitating a secondary policy; and the Murphys found themselves struggling to pay for health care. In 2006 their medical costs came to $25,000, most of it to cover insurance premiums—more than their annual mortgage payments.
Be Part of the Solution
Have you ever questioned whether you really needed that test or medical procedure? Join with AARP in a movement to bring affordable health care to all Americans. Speak up for change at www.dividedwefail.org.
Why does basic health care cost so much? That’s a question you won’t hear much in the news, despite the fact that the topic of health care is front and center in this year’s presidential race. The issue of cost has understandably taken a back seat to our concer ...