Despite vast scientific and medical resources, the U.S. health-care system continues to underperform due to decades of market-driven policies that have prioritized profit over patient care. The privatization of Medicaid and Medicare has increased taxpayer costs while restricting patient access, as private insurers and equity firms—focused on shareholder gains—now dominate key clinical sectors.
Policy shifts:
- Biden administration: Reversed some of Trump’s earlier policies, expanded low-income coverage, and introduced limited drug price controls.
- Trump’s second term: Intensified attacks on science and public health, proposed $990 billion cuts to Medicaid, and is accelerating Medicare privatization.
The article argues that merely restoring pre-Trump conditions or balancing patient rights with investor interests is inadequate. True reform requires decommercializing U.S. health insurance and care delivery to realign the system around patient well-being rather than profit.