Dear Future President,

All people in America deserve to get the care they need. Health care today is almost impossible for some people to afford. The rise in expenses are hurting American families who can’t afford the health care which is a major issue. If the health care prices continue to rise it will hurt millions of American families both financially and even physically.

Over the past years, the cost of medicine has gone up drastically and the United States is spending a ton of their money on it, therefore forcing insurance companies to increase medical premiums. According to college professors Robert S. Kaplan and Micheal E. Porter, the costs of health care is currently over 17% of our GDP and is showing no sign of stopping its increase. Unfairly, other countries spend less on their health care but still have the same increase, so why should Americans pay more? Studies show that the expenses continue to rise because of our lack of knowledge and ability to further understand how to fix our nation's other financial issues without increasing costs for other programs like health care. Additionally, a major reason the costs are going up is because of our government needs to pay off our huge debts through taxes.

Indeed, many people are complaining about not getting their money’s worth out of their health care. The U.S. Department of Health’s job is to make sure that we are getting our deserved care, but recent articles have shown a lack of expertise in the department. Since the health care provided is so expensive, financial disaster has made its way into the homes of millions of Americans. Likewise, when expenses go up to pay for debt it’s not just affecting families that are having to give up more money just to be insured but is affecting our country as a whole and will begin to increase the uninsured population. Costs are changing so dramatically that it can be hard to prepare for how it will affect your family. Sudden cost increases might cause you to lose money for other things in your life you’ve worked hard for and that’s unjust. Budgeting for the cost of health care is known to be “fast and furious” because of this, costs are unable to be linked with the process of improvement leaving effective and efficient providers unrewarded and capping any cost reductions.

Furthermore, I believe so strongly in this issue because it affects my life as well as many others around me. I will be in the workforce soon and the expenses may end up affecting what job I have, I might not be able to get the job I want or the job that is good because I’ll be forced to focus on the job that provides me the ability to have health care. Also, I will soon have to pay health care once I’m an adult, so I’m looking out now for my future. I will be young like many just getting into the “real world” and the costs will restrict the money I have for my family and life I’m starting. It may even determine if I can have proper health care for my family which is a big deal. Additionally, the effects on people around me will in the long run effect me too. If I have a family member unable to pay for health care I might have to take care of them by myself instead of a professional. Should people’s lives really be at risk? Fortunately, there are numerous ways that anyone can begin to help change the problem.

Today, the most popular way playing a huge part in trying to solve the health care crisis is the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care act is a process which is beginning to make care more affordable, according to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For example, It is giving citizens control over their care and giving people who were previously unable to afford health care the ability to have it. Many experts like Richard P. Nathan (distinguished professor in political science and public policy) who have studied this act believe that it will help costs abate. Another way to help is, tracking the rise in the consumer price index, states David I. Auerbach, by efficiently doing this it would being saving families tons of struggle and money. We need to be able to further understand the issue if we want to be able to solve it, says Robert S. Kaplan and Micheal E. Porter. We don’t need a change of government we need a change of understanding; if we can figure out ways to actually measure costs and compare the outcomes, we can ultimately end the crisis. We need your to help make the change and help the public understand the seriousness of this affair. Overall, the change in expense is damaging countless families in America leading to financial depletion and loss in care for the people of our nation.

Sincerely,

Aidan Lawrence

Works Cited

Auerbach, David I., and Auther L. Kellerman. "Accelerating Health Care Costs Wiping Out Much of Americans' Income Gains." Auerbach, David I. RAND Corporation, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Epstein, Lita. "6 Reasons Healthcare Is So Expensive in the U.S." 6 Reasons Health Care Is So Expensive in the U.S. Investopedia, 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

"Health Care in the United States." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Kaplan, Robert S., and Michael E. Porter. "The Big Idea: How to Solve the Cost Crisis in Health Care." Harvard Business Review. KPMG, 08 Feb. 2016. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

"Key Features of the Affordable Care Act." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. N.p., 07 June 2013. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Nathan, Richard P. "America's Health Care Cost Crisis and What to Do About It." Rockefeller Institute Brief (2013): n. pag. The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute Of Government. Mar. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.