Socio Economic Realities of Affordable Health Care 

The groundwork of affordable health is a composite issue fundamentally sound in the

ideals of those who benefit most from it. However, the

fact remains that those who do benefit from its positive

aspects, are undeniably reaping advantages from the

unfortunate majority that disagree on this topic and are

being unfairly charged for the care of the few. The

socio- economic logistics behind this claim holds merit

to the current healthcare situation, claiming that

increased health care prices are negatively affecting the middle class and therefore causing an

overall economic issue within the United States.

Dynamics of the Increasing Cost of Medical Health Care  

Focusing particularly on the exponentially increasing costs of medical health care, the

issue is viewed by many to be an imposed taxation upon one’s freedom and ability to afford the

right to be health and happy. Similarly, those who pay a substantial amount in taxes are feeling

particularly unrecognized in the decision to make affordable health care only affordable to those

who do not pay as much in tax and also get medical care for little to nothing. The rise in health

insurance costs can be attributed, but not limited to: over analyzing, new technologies, and

efficiency standards. Many of the rising costs in health care can be accredited to doctors making
examinations and running tests that the patient does not necessarily need. The result of this can

be an increased charge to health insurance, ultimately leading to an addition to deductible rates

that consumers have to pay. Similarly, there are near monopolies on many of the new

technologies and drugs being developed and produced in the United States. Because of the

increased technology, the price has inevitably also increased. While many patients feel as though

they are being taken care of best when their doctor runs every test in the book, the actuality of

the situation is that doctors are paid on a fee-for service system, meaning that they are often

times running too many tests on their patients, conclusively resulting and attributing to the rising

costs of health care (Scutti). Furthermore, increased health related insecurities by citizens of the

United States can be held responsible for the heightened prices in medical health care. By taking

an in depth look at the practices medical

associates are advocating and creating, there

becomes a discrepancy between true needs and

disassociated tests on a patient to patient basis.

The statistic to the right indicates the

escalating spending amounts the US has

contributed to health care since 1982. This

coincides with the aforementioned argument

apropos to reasons for increased spending due to medical tests, drugs, and over testing for

illnesses. With an increased spending on research and development, the price of such tests and

treatments have also gone up, resulting in the raised prices for these services for American

citizens.
 

Economic Effects on Middle Class America 

Correspondingly, the rising increase in medical health

care can be traced back to those individuals who are

affected the most by rising health care costs. The

infographic to the left shows the base income needed

to be considered middle class. An individual living on

$24,000 a year qualifies as middle class, yet with

skyrocketing premiums and largely increased

deductibles, the actuality of having ‘affordable’ health care is beyond realistic. Journalist Arthur

Tacchino writes:

“many premiums have risen since 2010 due to plans and carriers adapting to the

elimination of several cost- containment strategies that they have used in the past, such as

annual and lifetime limits on benefits, cost sharing, referrals, and pre authorization for

care, and several others.”.

The accuracy of this argument is pertained to the idea that affordable health care was meant to

be affordable for everyone, yet has become the exact opposite of the imposed situation. While

middle class citizens pay their taxes and support the Affordable Care Act, they are indirectly
being punished for qualifying to pay taxes and contributing to the institution that, in turn, does

not help them pay for their own medical health care. Furthermore, the concept of affordable

health care, is in fact the fundamental ideal to provide healthcare for those that need it most.

What government issued health care has imposed on those who at one time could afford medical

health care, now are being deemed as those to be charged the most in a ratio compared to

economic advantage and affordability. The two comparisons in juxtaposition against the

considerable difference in socio economic development between the class structure validifies the

argument that considerable measures have been taken to further remove the middle class from

the equation and place them below the equality standard upheld for those in the lowest economic

class. In doing so there becomes a discrepancy in direct relation to the ability of economic

freedom permitted to those who are contributing to the fundamental economic structure of the

country.

Social and Economic Impacts of the Threatened Middle Class 

Thirdly, the overall development and socio economic foundation is being

threatened as the middle class makes up fifty percent of America’s population

(PEW Research Center), and furthermore are large contributors to the economy of

this nation. ​This informational graph shows the situation regarding the middle

class’ status throughout the past decade. With an increasing wealth gap, middle

class citizen are becoming apart of the income trends regarding the large gap

between the upper class and the middle class. This is affecting the overall
economy and political agenda of the government by a means of the rising costs of medical care,

and why these rising costs are becoming more and more unattainable. As seen in the graph, the

evidence can be considered a pivotal change in the direction of affordability and can be applied

to the concept of affordable health care through a means of identifying the reason for increased

wealth gap issues. Correspondingly there is also sufficient evidence to support the idea that this

is not a sudden movement towards increased medical health care but a gradual increase in result

of a multitude of decisions being made in accompaniment and in conclusion of the concept of

medical health care.

Conclusively, the logistics of affordable health care are in no way lacking in complexity.

The foundation of the American government is meant to uphold the standard of ensuring that

majority does not always rule. This however, has lost the resonating patriotism amongst those

who are affected most by its lack thereof. Affordable health care cannot come at the cost of the

many in order to support the few, the economic research behind this upholds the standards that

the current healthcare situation has actively increased health care prices, making it unaffordable

to those on the lower end of the middle class, as well as incorporating more economic issues into

the overall status of American society.

Amadeo, Kimberly. “See for Yourself If Obamacare Increased Health Care Costs.” ​The

Balance​, www.thebalance.com/causes-of-rising-healthcare-costs-4064878.

Martinez, Y. “Who Is 'Middle Income' and 'Upper Income' in 2014?” ​Pew Research

Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project​, 9 May 2016,

“The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground.” ​Pew Research Center's Social &

Demographic Trends Project​, 9 Dec. 2015,

www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/09/the-american-middle-class-is-losing-ground/​.

Research!America. "Costs for Research and Development in U.S. Health Care from 1982

to 2016 (in Billion U.S. Dollars)." ​Statista - The Statistics Portal​, Statista,

www.statista.com/statistics/272017/research-and-development-costs-in-us-health-care-sin

ce-1982/, Accessed 27 Feb 2018

Network, 7 Nov. 2017,

www.cnn.com/2017/11/07/health/health-care-spending-study/index.html​.

Tacchino, Arthur. "Health Care Reform's Effect on the Working Middle Class." ​Journal

of Financial Service Professionals​, vol. 66, no. 3, May 2012, pp. 43-50. EBSCO​host​,

libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh

&AN=75058637&site=eds-live