On this episode host Sammy Ross and guest Amanda Sayers dive deep into the topic of Healthcare.  How did we get an employer-based healthcare system, and who came up with this plan?  What is Obamacare, and who is eligible to apply?  All that and more is discussed and answered, on this episode of the podcast.  

For Bonus content about how Sammy dealt with a surprise medical bill, along with Amanda's story of surviving a lockdown in Italy during Covid-19, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/ThisisNotaHandout

For more information about the show, please visit: https://www.thisisnotahandout.com

 

Resources:

To sign up for the Affordable Care Act: https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace-in-your-state/

For further background on how America's current healthcare system came into existence, please visit this story from NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114045132

For more information on Reaganomics and deregulation in the 80's, please visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/04/upshot/reagan-deregulation-and-americas-exceptional-rise-in-health-care-costs.html

For information regarding the evolution and compromises of Obamacare, please visit: https://www.forbes.com/sites/gracemarieturner/2016/01/26/obamacare-70-changes-make-it-a-very-different-law-than-congress-passed/#1f73380c6c4d

For a different look at the surprise billing issue: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/02/12/804943655/doctors-push-back-as-congress-takes-aim-at-surprise-medical-bills

For a basic breakdown on the expenses of healthcare in America: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/080615/6-reasons-healthcare-so-expensive-us.asp

For a comparison about healthcare in the United States to other countries across the world: https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2019/07/how-does-the-us-healthcare-system-compare-to-other-countries

For more information comparing the current American healthcare system to other countries, please visit these articles and reports from the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation dedicated to promoting high-performing health care: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/documents/___media_files_publications_fund_report_2017_jul_schneider_mirror_mirror_2017.pdf AND https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2019/apr/considering-single-payer-proposals-lessons-from-abroad

For a fascinating report on non-profit hospital executive salaries: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2019/06/26/top-u-s-non-profit-hospitals-ceos-are-racking-up-huge-profits/#6ed2418519df

For more information about the actual costs of cancer drug research and development, take a look at this article from the Journal of the American Medical Association: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2653012

For more information on statistics of the populace's insurance coverage, visit this report from the Kaiser Family Foundation: https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/total-population/?dataView=1¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=employer&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D

For Bernie Sander's Healthcare Plan's calculator, visit:  https://www.sandershealthcare2020.com/

For more on Joe Biden's Healthcare Plan, please visit: https://joebiden.com/healthcare/

For more on the Shelf Life Extension Program: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/18/537257884/that-drug-expiration-date-may-be-more-myth-than-fact

For more information on drug expiration, visit this Harvard report: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/is-it-ok-to-use-medications-past-their-expiration-dates

For more information from the House Ways and Means committee report on drug prices in US compared globally: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/documents/U.S.%20vs.%20International%20Prescription%20Drug%20Prices_0.pdf

For more information from the Senate report on drug price increases, visit: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/face-sheet-on-generic-drug-price-increases?inline=file

For a snippet into Travel Tourism:  https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/06/09/318212444/a-reason-to-smile-mexican-town-is-a-destination-for-dental-tourism