Health Care History

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Pages: 4

It seems every time the television is turned on or the newspaper is opened, there is something related to the healthcare crisis in America. With a presidential election in the near future, Americans are focused on healthcare and its future. Living on a college campus, most students are oblivious to the topic and probably don't care to know much about it. However, it is a very real issue and affects everyone's lives positively or negatively. Health Care is a complex, detailed topic that can be somewhat difficult to understand. This paper will sift through the origins of healthcare, the current state, and its future. It is obvious that the United States has not operated under the same healthcare system for its history, so where and …show more content…
This period marked successes in diagnosing and treating diseases. But, with more technology and technological advances, hospitals began to charge more and people could not afford it. This was especially hard with the unsafe working conditions at the time. In 1910 Montgomery Ward made the first multi-employee health insurance system which gave annual benefits of about $30 to injured or ill employees. Although it didn't catch on quickly, it started a conversion among people on health insurance that made its way through state governments and Washington. The idea was killed quickly in both state and federal government and by 1920 the idea of national insurance was completely dead …show more content…
Nixon presented a system that would, “would offer to every American broad and balanced health protection.” In addition he addressed the idea of pre-existing conditions stating, “there would be no exclusions of coverage based on the nature of the illness … a person with heart disease would qualify for benefits as would a person with kidney disease.” It looked like a form of universal health care could be on the horizon, until the Watergate scandal broke out. Nixon resigned from office and Gerald Ford disregarded his health insurance plan. When Jimmy Carter took over as president, he made mention of moving to a universal healthcare system but issues such as the national recession took precedence and health care remained the same for many