While the United States is ranked as the 12th richest country in the world it still doesn’t afford universal healthcare for its citizens.
The U.S. is one of the few developed nations that lack universal healthcare, according to The Atlantic.
The average American spent around $9,596 per year on healthcare as of 2012, which is more than twice the per capita average of other developed nations. And that cost is rising!
And it’s a cost too many Americans can’t afford.
About 20 percent of Americans, or 40 million adults, can’t afford or aren’t able to access health care.
One in five Americans can’t afford the cost of medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care, or eyeglasses, according to ABC News.
“People assume that if you have health insurance of any kind that you’re okay, but that’s not the case,” Amy Bernstein, chief of the analytic studies branch at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, said.
A study by researchers at the Harvard Chan School found that the reason the U.S. spends so much on healthcare is that of inflated prices as drugs are more expensive, doctors get paid more, and hospital services and diagnostic testing cost more. More money is also spent on planning, regulating, and managing medical services at the administrative level.
While those in power stand by and allow this, there are some Americans who refuse to watch their fellows humans forgo quality healthcare because of money.
A social media user witnessed such an act and shared her story on online.
The unnamed woman said she witnessed another woman pay for an elderly man’s medication when he couldn’t afford the whole bill.
“OKAY, I just saw the most amazing thing today. I was waiting for my prescription at Walgreens and I noticed this man is picking up his medicines. He is asking how much they are and starting to get nervous about the price,” the woman’s post read.
“The total was $170 and the pharmacist asked if he would rather only get one month of his medicines instead of 3. THIS lady next to me walks up to them and says: NO, he is getting all three months and pays for his bill. I was walking out of there with tears in my eyes, what an amazing woman…”
The accompanying photos in the post show the woman paying for the man’s medication and the two embracing in a hug. It was a truly heartwarming moment that easily requires a tissue. Even when those in power aren’t there for us, we’re there for each other.
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