The cost of health care continues to increase as time goes. Getting medical attention in the United States has become a matter of debate in both mainstream media houses and social media platforms. Apparently, it’s very hard to find a politician who is seeking an elective post without airing the issue of health care cost. Individuals have gone further to acquire different health insurance policies, apart from the common Medicare, so that they can supplement the high costs of treatment. There have been questions about what causes the healthcare costs to skyrocket. Here are some of the factors that have been highlighted to have had a role to play in the increased health care costs.
Running Costs
The cost of running a medical facility has been rising continuously due to changes in the inflation rates and the increased recurrent expenditure. Other daily utilities such as power and water have almost tripled, increasing the cost of running medical facilities beyond recognition. Running some departments, such as surgical rooms, has been expensive for facilities. The majority of them use surgical lights, obtaining the power for these lights from power suppliers which have raised their prices. This leads to skyrocketing monthly bills. Facilities pass all these costs to patients who end up paying everything.
Cost of Medical Tools and Equipment
Medical tools and equipment are expensive to buy and maintain. This means that substantial initial costs have to be incurred by the facilities. Such tools and equipment require constant maintenance. In fact, some of them require a lot of electric power to run them, which adds to the overall cost of buying and maintaining. The problem has been further compounded by the fact that only a few organizations are required to supply medical tools and equipment, which increases demand, hence high prices. Moreover, some medical tools become obsolete, and they have to be replaced with advanced tools over time.
Modernization of Facilities
Currently, a significant number of medical facilities across the country have been refurbished while some of them have gone further to add other buildings that did not exist. This has been done with the aim of making the facilities modern after long periods. However, some of them have gone to acquire new properties to aid in their expanding facilities. Either the federal or regional government does not fund all these costs. Majority of the medical facilities are required to find their own methods for sourcing funds to cater for expansion. This makes them pass the cost to the innocent patients who end up paying high costs.
Rising Cost of Drugs
The cost of drugs has risen in recent times which is proportional to the demand for such drugs on the market. A large number of individuals are buying prescription medicine in the over the counter shops which has further complicated the whole issue. Given that hospitals have to buy such drugs at higher costs, they have to pass the same to their patients. A significant number of individuals have a lower credit score as they have defaulted on several loans which they borrowed with the purpose of paying for increased medical costs. Demand is not the only factor leading to the high cost of drugs, but other factors such as manufacturing, raw material, and distribution costs have played a key role in raising the price of such drugs.
Misuse of Specialist and Special Facilities
Recent studies show that a significant number of patients are preferring to be attended by medical specialists rather than being accompanied by primary healthcare providers. Specialists are more expensive than primary care, which is sometimes offered as a free service. Moreover, some patients have been seeking emergency medical attention in the emergency rooms for illnesses that can be handled without the use of emergency room facilities. This facilitates to the increased cost in the healthcare industry.
Advanced Medical Research
Research for new drugs, treatment methods, and even advanced tools and equipment are increasing. This has been brought about due to the emergence of lifestyle diseases that cannot be treated by the use of the traditional treatment methods. There are other diseases such as cancer and HIV/Aids that researchers are yet to find a cure. These research studies, the majority of which are carried out in large scale, have significantly contributed to the increased medical costs.
