In today’s modern world health insurance is as important as proper nutrition and having adequate shelter; however, it remains one of the biggest obstacles families and individuals in the United States face on a daily basis. The unfortunate reality is, that millions of Americans go without health insurance, and thousands of people die every year due to being uninsured, all the while insurance companies continue to report all-time high profits. In 2014 alone, while the rest of the country continued to weather the effects of the worst recession since the Great Depression, the insurance industry was setting records of net-profits while increasing premiums and canceling critical policies for individuals they deemed to be a “financial risk”.
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In 1944, the United States, in an attempt to keep the industry’s greed at bay and force it to remain customer-focused by implementing federal regulations, a lawsuit was filed and won by the United States Supreme Court against the South-Eastern Underwriters Association. After ninety plus years of free reign the Supreme Court agreed with lawmakers and found the availability of health insurance to be a fundamental right to United States citizens, and as such, was subject to federal regulation as per the United States Constitution (United States v. South-Eastern). However, greed and corruption never being far from politics, The McCarran-Ferguson Act, passed by Congress in 1945, proved the Supreme Court’s ruling moot. The act states that the insurance industry is exempt from any federal laws that in any way attempt to regulate it (McCarran-Ferguson); thus, giving rise to the multi-billion dollar tyrannical monster that controls lawmakers. That same monster decides who lives and dies by following rules that are written for the industry and by the industry and that are changed by the industry based on financial …show more content…
Amazingly, one of the few politicians attempting to make changes to tame this tyrannical beast is the President. Although President Barrack Obama cannot force Congress to pass new and updated laws, he has had a considerable impact and effort to address the issue by passing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The act itself, while far from perfect, most citizens agree that it is a step in the right direction, and that substantial work is needed to reform the nation’s healthcare system. Although the ACA has been staunchly apposed by the majority of Congress it has begun to pick up speed as it continues to be implemented throughout the country. However, with no unification among political leaders, the insurance industry continues to use the opportunity to rip more money out of the hands of Americans, and their greed-based reaction has shocked even the most savvy of business
In 1944, the United States, in an attempt to keep the industry’s greed at bay and force it to remain customer-focused by implementing federal regulations, a lawsuit was filed and won by the United States Supreme Court against the South-Eastern Underwriters Association. After ninety plus years of free reign the Supreme Court agreed with lawmakers and found the availability of health insurance to be a fundamental right to United States citizens, and as such, was subject to federal regulation as per the United States Constitution (United States v. South-Eastern). However, greed and corruption never being far from politics, The McCarran-Ferguson Act, passed by Congress in 1945, proved the Supreme Court’s ruling moot. The act states that the insurance industry is exempt from any federal laws that in any way attempt to regulate it (McCarran-Ferguson); thus, giving rise to the multi-billion dollar tyrannical monster that controls lawmakers. That same monster decides who lives and dies by following rules that are written for the industry and by the industry and that are changed by the industry based on financial …show more content…
Amazingly, one of the few politicians attempting to make changes to tame this tyrannical beast is the President. Although President Barrack Obama cannot force Congress to pass new and updated laws, he has had a considerable impact and effort to address the issue by passing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The act itself, while far from perfect, most citizens agree that it is a step in the right direction, and that substantial work is needed to reform the nation’s healthcare system. Although the ACA has been staunchly apposed by the majority of Congress it has begun to pick up speed as it continues to be implemented throughout the country. However, with no unification among political leaders, the insurance industry continues to use the opportunity to rip more money out of the hands of Americans, and their greed-based reaction has shocked even the most savvy of business