Almost everyone in America knows that health insurance reform is necessary in the country. The costs of health insurance continues to rise annually at rates that are much higher than the rate of inflation. As a matter of fact, according to the Henry Kaiser Family Foundation, 2008 Annual Survey on Employee Health Benefits, health insurance costs have increased more than 100 percent over the last 10 years.

American paychecks are not rising anywhere near as quickly, and Americans are struggling to keep up with big increases in health insurance costs. Companies are also finding it more of a challenge to pay for the health insurance costs of their employees.

There are many companies that do not provide coverage to their employees today because they simply cannot afford it. The same Annual Survey on Employee Health Benefits study showed that an average family of four has to pay about $13,000 annually to health insurance companies for coverage. The employer usually pays about 70 percent or $9,100 and the employee pays the remaining 30 percent or $3,900 on average.


Why is America the only industrial country in the world that does not offer universal healthare coverage to all of its residents? This is hard to understand for a couple reasons. First, America is the wealthiest nation in the world so we know that America can afford it if other countries can. Second, according to the World Health Organization, America is ranked 37 on the list of countries providing health care. One of the reasons Americans spend more than any other country on health care is due to all the paid to the middle man (health insurance companies), and Americans do not even receive the best value for their money based on the number 37 ranking



When we think about health insurance companies, we have to remember that they are simply middle men that do not make or manufacture anything. So Americans have to ask why should these middlemen reap billions of dollars in profits which is making everyday healthcare costs very expensive and life a struggle for the average American. The more money Americans have to pay for health insurance, the less they have for other basic needs that are also a priority.



Health is so important to life that Americans should ask why they should lose health care coverage if they lose a job or change a job and cannot afford to pay for coverage until the new job's coverage begins. The thought of losing health care coverage is also stressful and unsettling. Americans should not have to feel this was about something so critical to living when they live in the wealthiest country in the world.