Here’s an idea. Let’s run with this America First! concept. Let’s create a policy where, for every resource we spend on foreign aid, we put a greater amount of resources into a universal healthcare system in the United States. And as you’ll see in this piece, money isn’t necessarily the solution.

As a matter of fact, the money we spend in supporting our current system may be the core of the problem, i.e. corporate greed.

Let’s make America First! in healthcare, not just in total dollars spent and overall cost—we already do that, and it far exceeds the rest of the other wealthy nations per person. The question is why?—but in overall effectiveness, efficiency, and availability.

Let’s set a policy where no American family must choose between having healthcare coverage and paying other bills while any other nation reaps the benefit of our defense largesse and generosity.

Just look at the difference in cost of some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the US and the price for the same drug in Canada.

Drug	US cost	Canada cost (in US dollars)
lisinopril (Zestril)	$42.84 for 30/10mg tabs	$20 for 30/10mg tabs
levothyroxine (Synthroid)	$63.65 for 30/50mcg	$25 for 30/50mcg
atorvastatin (Lipitor)	$128 for 30/40mg	$115.58 for 30/40mg
metformin (Glucophage)	$75 for a year’s supply 100/500mg	$55 for a year’s supply 100/500mg
simvastatin (Zocor)	$49.69 for 30/40mg	$29.31 for 30/40mg
acetaminophen plus hydrocodone	$60.52 for 100/300mg (Acet) 5mg (Hydro)	$18.45 for 100/300mg (Acet) 5mg (Hydro)
albuterol (Ventolin)	$25.54 for 1 hfa (18g) 90mcg	15.45 for 1 hfa (18g) 90mcg

The American Healthcare system is a maze of private and public insurance plans and coverage. Annual costs exceed 4.5 trillion dollars or $13,493 per person in 2022. That is twice the cost of most other wealthy nations.

Here are some startling facts.

Life expectancy in the United States is lower than Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The US has the highest rate of infant and maternal deaths compared to those same nations and the obesity rates is nearly double. (Link to study)

Every single one of the countries in this study, except the United States, guarantee government, or public, health coverage to all their residents. Hard to proclaim ourselves the greatest nation in the world when faced with that fact.

If we can afford to give foreign countries defense aid, we should be able to find a way to guarantee the availability of affordable healthcare before we allocate tax dollars to other countries.

Joe Broadmeadow

Clearly the US healthcare system, despite the enormous resources we expend, is not working. And taking care of the health and safety of the American people should be the main focus of government.

Finding a way to save on administrative and overhead costs (not to mention profits for private insurance companies with a vested interest in minimizing cost, i.e., treatments available to those in need) can bring efficiencies that can translate into better coverage and reduced out-of-pocket expenses.

Here’s the top ten list of healthcare providers in the US and their annual revenue.

1. UnitedHealth Group: $371.6 billion
2. CVS Health: $357.8 billion
3. McKesson: $301.5 billion
4. Cencora: $271.6 billion
5. Cardinal Health: $216.2 billion
6. Cigna: $195.3 billion
7. Elevance Health: $170 billion
8. Centene: $154 billion
9. HCA Healthcare: $65 billion
10. Molina Healthcare: $34 billion

Just as one example, UnitedHealth Group, the largest US provider of healthcare insurance, generated twenty-two billion dollars ($22,000,000,000) in profits in 2023. There seems to be something inherently wrong with this. Millions of Americans cannot afford access to healthcare coverage yet a private company generated billions of dollars in profits from the healthcare system.

And the closest thing we have to such access, the Affordable Care Act, is at risk of being ended because of politics. The PACS and profiteers in the private insurance world want it gone.

As an aside to the profits of UnitedHealth Group, there is a UnitedHealth Group PAC. Looking at the top contributors and the candidates they contribute to is interesting. Nope, it is not all Republicans or Democrats. It is pretty evenly doled out to both parties. Interesting, no? Must maintain the status quo. (Link to UnitedHealth Group PAC)

Prevention is always less expensive than treatment. But when families need to choose between paying for preventive care or gambling on not needing treatment, costs rise.

And if it would make some of you feel better, we can require proof of citizenship or legal status to seek coverage under any federal plan or receive any benefits. Which we do now in most cases. Eligibility is based on legal status. Illegal entry into this country generally precludes access to benefits such as welfare or food stamps and is a crime if they are obtained fraudulently.

That’s not to say we abandon America’s long history of caring for all in need, but charity does begin at home. One can be both charitable and cautious when allocating resources.

Consider this, Israel’s healthcare system is funded via taxes and government funding. Employees and self-employed contribute 3.1% of their income to fund the healthcare system (up to a maximum of 5,804 ILS (1,648 USD). Every Israeli has healthcare, and they have the option to buy additional healthcare through private insurance.

As the largest recipient of US defense spending for foreign nations, it is reasonable to assume our tax dollars effectively subsidize the Israeli system. Shouldn’t Americans have the same benefit before we fund other nations?

If we can afford to give foreign countries defense aid, we should be able to find a way to guarantee the availability of affordable healthcare before we allocate tax dollars to other countries.

These are complex matters with no simple solutions, but seeking these solutions requires a straightforward step: setting the goal. And if we make the goal caring for all Americans first, we can most assuredly find a way to share our enormous resources with the rest of the world.

America(ns) First!

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