Paying too much attention to politics can be hazardous to your health. And going into the 2024 presidential contest, it becomes clear that neither major party's candidate has a solution to the country's health care crisis. Perhaps one solution to both toxic levels of politicking and concerns about the encroaching cost of health care is to go out and get some fresh air.
It's been over a decade since Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare—the latest major piece of health care legislation. The law was intended to expand insurance coverage and lower costs, but costs have actually exploded in the years since, despite $20 billion spent annually to subsidize 79 percent of policies. No wonder: The ubiquity of third-party payers like insurance—whether public or private—is the reason health care costs so much in the first place.
