14.1: Introduction
Compared to other wealthy countries, the U.S. is unique in that it does not have a universal or government-sponsored healthcare system. Instead, the federal government (through Medicare and Medicaid) and a few large health insurance companies are the primary payers for healthcare. Health insurance is either provided by an employer, or purchased privately by individuals. The Affordable Care Act provided subsidies for low income individuals which did help increase coverage - but to date has never reached 100%. In 2023, the uninsured were at the lowest percentage yet - only 7.7% or around 25.3 million Americans still lacked health insurance coverage. In this chapter, we will cover the basics of the U.S. healthcare system: government funded programs, health insurance terms, and a few key issues facing U.S. healthcare.