Jeff King was recovering from an unexpected procedure to fix his irregular heart rhythm when he received shocking news.
The hospital had given him a $160,000 (£119,00) bill for the treatment. King, a former pastor, did not have standard health insurance from his employer, only a cost-sharing alternative plan that said it would not cover the procedure.
“It was pretty traumatic,” said the 66-year-old from Lawrence, Kansas. “Who knew that less than a one-day procedure in and out of the hospital could destroy us financially?”
King is one of around 100 million people – or about 40% of Americans – who are estimated to struggle to pay off their medical and dental healthcare debt, according to recent data. The healthcare company King was a member of have previously said it’s important that members understand its cost-sharing model and membership guidelines.
The US has one of the most expensive health systems in the world, with spending on health care estimated to reach $5.9tn (£4.3tn) in 2026, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But despite spending twice as much per capita on healthcare compared with wealthy nations of a similar size, the US has a lower life expectancy than those other nations, according to health research nonprofit KFF.
As costs have continued to grow, so have Americans’ frustrations with the US healthcare system.
In December of 2024, a gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson, a father of two, on a busy street in Manhattan. Some took to social media after the murder to celebrate the alleged assassin, Luigi Mangione, as a kind of folk hero, believing Thompson’s killing to be a reaction against the system.
Supporters of the murder suspect flock to stand outside the courthouse in New York for his hearings, wearing backpacks and shirts saying “Free Luigi” and carrying signs protesting the healthcare industry.
Last Friday, a judge threw out a federal firearms murder count against Mangione, which was punishable by the death penalty. Karen Friedman Agnifilo, one of Mangione’s lawyers, thanked his fans after the judge’s decision, saying: “We really appreciate all the support.”
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state charges.
For years, both Republicans and Democrats have recognised a need for reforms to a costly and convoluted system, but have disagreed on the best solutions to fix the problem.
The Great Healthcare Plan
President Donald Trump recently proposed his own solution, the “Great Healthcare Plan”, which suggests sending citizens money directly to help pay for health insurance.
The plan includes a pledge to remove “kickbacks” to middlemen.
He added: “The Great Healthcare Plan… It’s great healthcare at a lower price, mandates unprecedented accountability and transparency from insurance companies and all healthcare providers so that special interests can no longer profiteer at your expense.”
But experts say the plan is light on actual details – including how much money Trump wants to send people and how he would fund his plan – and that the recent expiration of subsidies and cuts to government health programmes under Trump could make healthcare even less affordable.
Large publicly-traded health companies have tripled their profits over the last two decades, paying out shareholders over $2.6tn from 2001 to 2022, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“We are the only major [health] system in the world that allows the free market to run loose,” said John McDonough, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health professor.
Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC
