Healthcare inflation for families and employees are on the rise with the constant expenses of new research, expensive technology, expensive drugs, and the factor of profit. The Kaiser Family Foundation states that inflation in medicine has reached an overall high over the last four decades.
The customer’s price index’s overall outlook had increased by 0.3%, and child healthcare increased by 0.1% since the past year, while the overall increase of healthcare costs are at an estimated five percent increase.
But even after the fall of Covid-19 inflation, the cost of healthcare is failing to fall as well. According to The Times, at an increase rate of 5.5%, hospital service fees have spiked within the last few months and are still on the rise. Although over half of the world’s working population’s health care is covered by their employers, they aren’t getting their full healthcare coverage in more cases than one.
While employees of LAUSD such as school nurses and teachers are fully covered in medical expenses such as vision and dental, any students that are not covered may seek help at the Olive View Medical Center.
John Gaintanis, school nurse at Kennedy, stated, “There are various facilities that cover students that have no health insurance like Olive View Medical Center. You can also become a member if your job doesn’t cover you medically.”
Students and employees who are unable to obtain healthcare are affected by treatment centers and the industry’s constant increase in cost, taking over one fifth of the nation’s economy. But this is not only due to the remaining inflation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic but also the burnout and shortages of healthcare workers, some of which are leaving for higher paying jobs by traveling.
This shortage is causing a need for healthcare workers across the industry, which means that the offered salaries must increase to make it more appealing to the eye. But this appealing offer of an increased salary, eventually gets included in the patient’s fees, increasing the cost of healthcare.
Sophomore Emma Kamel stated, “I find that health care and insurance should be a given because it helps to support any necessary help or treatments that one may need.”
Across the country, smaller hospitals are going bankrupt and eventually are bought out by larger private companies, which all lead to higher costs for patients. While inflation viewed from historic trends is predicted, these inflation rates are at the potential risk of worsening the health and financial situations of many lacking the proper healthcare, creating the deprivation of employees and families.
