Category: United States healthcare system

Celebrate Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health Care

Every July 4th, Americans celebrate Independence Day, marking the founding of a nation with complex systems, including healthcare. The U.S. healthcare system combines public and private efforts, with significant government funding. Essential programs like Medicare and Medicaid serve millions, underscoring the commitment of healthcare professionals. Celebrating this system’s evolution reflects the nation’s founding principles.

updated June 30, 2026

Every year on July 4th we celebrate Independence Day- the day the original 13 American colonies established an independent country.

They established a government, military, educational system, highway system, public works, and healthcare system.

We Americans may pride ourselves on not having “socialized” medicine or “national healthcare”, but we do have a health care system that is a combination of public and private funding and administration. And even private healthcare must comply with a myriad of local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

Celebrate Healthcare Professionals

I believe we have one of the best healthcare systems in the world because of the people who work in healthcare- the people who devote years to education and training and who work tirelessly 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to make and keep us well.  Their commitment, compassion, dedication, and competence benefit all of us and deserve our gratitude.

Statue of Liberty
Lady Liberty lifting her torch in New York harbor-photo by Dr. Aletha

Government Healthcare Programs

The federal government pays for roughly 31% of all healthcare spending in the United States. According to the latest National Health Expenditures data, the federal government represents the single largest “sponsor” of healthcare in the nation, funding approximately $1.7 trillion of the country’s total $5.3 trillion annual medical tab. [1, 2]

The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare

The  United States Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 to guarantee basic health insurance to all citizens.  During the last presidential campaign, President Trump vowed to “repeal and replace” this law but although it has been modified, it is still active

Healthcare for Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

During the American Revolution the fledgling government extended health care benefits to the soldiers and veterans of that war; that system evolved into the current military health care system which covers service members and the Veterans’ Administration system for veterans.

a Veterans Administration clinic
a Veterans Administration clinic (photo by Dr. Aletha)
American soldiers serving in Afghanistan
American soldiers serving in Afghanistan

Medicare and Medicaid

Two other government healthcare programs- Medicare and Medicaid are over 50 years old. 

Medicaid provides insurance coverage for adults and children who are unemployed or low income.  

Medicare covers disabled children and adults  and persons 65 years and older.

You may not be eligible for either of these programs now, but chances are eventually you or someone close to you will.

  • Anyone can become disabled from a serious illness or freak accident.
  • You or your spouse may lose your job and your employer sponsored health insurance.
  • Your child may have a disability that will prevent them from working when they grow up.
  • We may all live long enough to qualify for Medicare on the basis of age alone.  Your parents or grandparents are near or already at Medicare age.
ELDERLY COUPLE -189282_1280
Senior adults age 65 and older use Medicare.

It’s important to understand how Medicare works, since it’s not automatic; even if you qualify, you need to sign up to be covered (with a few exceptions). The rules are summarized here. Or consider an easy to understand book here. 

Federal Healthcare Agencies

  • Food and Drug Administration- FDA
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- CDC
  • National Institutes of Health- NIH
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Drug Enforcement Agency-DEA
medication capsules
The FDA regulates the development and sale of medications and medical devices and the DEA regulates dangerous and controlled drugs.

Federal Healthcare Laws

  • The Affordable Care Act- ACA
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-HIPPA
  • Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act- EMTALA
  • Americans with Disabilities Act-ADA
Liberty Bell -replica
I took this photo of a replica of the Liberty Bell at Walt Disney World, Florida

Let Freedom Ring

In the Declaration of Independence, the founders of the United States created a nation based on the “self-evident truths”  of  “Life ,Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” and to promote “Safety and Happiness” . 

In the Constitution they vowed to “promote the general Welfare” .

I wonder if they envisioned their new government would spend so much time and money providing and regulating health care -most of which was not available or even imagined at that time? 

Let’s celebrate!

woman holding a sprakler
Let’s celebrate! This photo and featured image from stock photo site- Lightstock.com (affiliate)

Exploring the HEART of Health

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a woman in a red, white, and blue shirt

Me, years ago, showing my patriotic spirit by posing in red, white, and blue

Dr. Aletha 

The 2016 Election and U.S. Healthcare

In 2016, voters in the United States elected a new president, Donald Trump, and a new legislature, both Republican. Analysts expect major changes in policy and law after 8 years of Democratic control, especially regarding the ACA, Affordable Care Act (often dubbed ObamaCare)

Since his election, President-elect Trump says there are two features of the ACA he would like to see preserved-(in an interview with Leslie Stahl on  November 13, 2016)

  • Prohibition of insurance denial for pre-existing conditions
  • Covering young adults age 18-26 years old on their parents’ insurance plan

The Republican Platform includes:

  • Repeal of the Affordable Care Act
  • Protect insurance discrimination for preexisting conditions as long as continuous coverage is maintained
  • Allow people to buy insurance across state lines
  • Make individually purchased health insurance tax deductible
  • Limit federal spending on Medicaid, allowing the states more leeway in administering the program through block grants
  • Changes to Medicare- providing people under 55 years with a traditional Medicare option or a premium support system of competing plans; raising the age of eligibility for Medicare.

 red, white and blue Republican elephant

 

The Democratic Party supports

  • Continue building on the ACA to achieve universal health care
  • Provide a “public option” plan and allow people over age 55 years to buy-in to Medicare
  • Make premiums more affordable and reduce out-of-pocket costs to patients
  • Cap out-of-pocket monthly drug costs
  • Permit importation of lower-priced drugs from other countries
  • Allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers
  • Expand funding for community health centers
red, white and blue Democratic donkey

Mr. Levitt is Senior Vice President for Special Initiatives at the Kaiser Family Foundation and Co-Executive Director of the Kaiser Initiative on Health Reform and Private Insurance. He summarizes his review  this way-

“The ACA has increased insurance coverage by 20 million people and is now the status quo in our health care system. Fully repealing it would be very disruptive.

At the same time, the public remains divided on the law, so building on it will also be controversial.”

You can read his full review and  analysis here-

The Partisan Divide on Health Care

Exploring the HEART of health

I appreciate your time reading this post and invite you to follow this blog and me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha