As the cost of health insurance has increased immensely over the past few years, the topic of health insurance has come to the forefront of almost everyone’s mind. Politically, it is a hotly debated item of this year’s elections in the U.S. Yet, health insurance is not merely a political tool for candidates to hurl around. Many people have learned how health insurance directly impacts them, as they have had to choose whether to pay higher costs for their own insurance.
Few people have stopped to consider what medical professionals think of health insurance. What is a doctor’s, nurse’s or nurse aide’s (CNA’s) opinion in the midst of the health insurance debate? Why do they think health insurance is important?
Health Insurance Companies are Annoying
Even for doctors, nurses, EMTS and CNAs, health insurance companies are annoying. They are often viewed as a necessary evil.
People do not usually enter the medical profession because they like to file paperwork. If they wanted to do that for a living, they would have become accountants. People become medical professionals, whether they are doctors or CNAs, because they want to help others. They enjoy assisting people who are in need and making others well. Dealing with insurance companies is not fun for anyone, but every job has its drawbacks.
Health Insurance is Necessary
Even though most medical professionals would rather not deal with health insurance companies, they realize that these companies are necessary. They are as important to the healthcare system as doctors and hospitals are. Without insurance companies, many people would be unable to afford the costs of treatment. Without the payments, doctors, nurses, nurse aides and others would not be able to go through the thorough training they have. They would be less prepared to provide a high level of care to patients.
Every Person Should Have Health Insurance
From a medical perspective, every person should have health insurance. It is almost a civic duty, but medical professionals disagree to what extent that civic duty should be enforced. In the United States, patients will never be refused treatment at an emergency room. So, people always have a place they can go to for medical care. However, everyone should be insured.
People who are uninsured hurt others in two ways. When a person seeks medical treatment from a doctor, but the patient cannot afford the costs, the doctor’s heart is often broken. For various reasons, treatment cannot be given out free to whoever walks in the door, aside from at emergency rooms. Yet, doctors, nurses, CNAs and all medical professionals want to provide care. They are sad when people suffer without insurance.
If a person must go to the emergency room for care, then he should do so. He will not be turned away, even if he is uninsured. Nevertheless, that patient is getting a free ride at other’s expense. He is either causing others to pay more for their care, or else the money used for his treatment could have been spent on research.
Health insurance is important, and everyone should have it. Medical professionals, however, do not agree on the best method of administering it in the U.S. If they had their way, everyone would be able to afford care. It is a matter of figuring out how to accomplish that goal.
Wayne Page writes about medically-related topics for the CNATrainingCenter.net. For more information about the current U.S. healthcare reform, check out the NY Times.
