America’s healthcare system is broken, and it’s time to address the real problem: the politicians who refuse to give the country universal healthcare. While health insurance companies play their part in the crisis, the root cause lies with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. These politicians have been bought off by big pharmaceutical companies and insurance giants, ensuring the system remains stacked against everyday Americans. Even worse, the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision has made it easier for corporations to pour unlimited money into politics, giving them outsized influence over policies that should prioritize people, not profits.
The Citizens United ruling in 2010 allowed corporations and other groups to spend unlimited amounts on elections. While the Court claimed this was about free speech, the result has been the opposite for ordinary Americans. Big pharma, health insurers, and other powerful industries now have the money to shape elections and control lawmakers. This decision essentially handed corporations the keys to our democracy, allowing them to buy the politicians who will do their bidding. It’s no coincidence that meaningful healthcare reform has been stalled for decades, despite overwhelming public support for universal coverage.
Politicians in Congress, regardless of party, have been complicit in this system. They accept donations and lobbying support from these corporations and then fail to act on policies that would help the people they are supposed to represent. Universal healthcare, which would ensure access to doctors, hospitals, and medicines without financial hardship, is treated as a radical idea. Yet, countries like Canada and the United Kingdom have shown that it is both achievable and cost-effective. The real reason the U.S. doesn’t have universal healthcare isn’t because it’s impractical; it’s because too many elected officials are more concerned about their corporate backers than their constituents.
Health insurance companies and pharmaceutical corporations operate in a system that Congress and the Supreme Court created and protect. These companies are allowed to charge astronomical premiums, deny coverage, and inflate drug prices because the laws are written to favor them. Meanwhile, the Court’s decision in Citizens United ensures that any politician who tries to challenge this system risks facing a flood of corporate-funded opposition.
America is supposed to be a country “by the people, for the people,” but the influence of corporate money has turned it into a country “by the corporations, for the profits.” If Americans want real change, they need to hold both politicians and the Supreme Court accountable. It starts by electing leaders who refuse to take corporate donations and pushing for reforms like overturning Citizens United. It also requires demanding that Congress prioritize the health of the nation over the profits of a few.
The fight for universal healthcare isn’t just about fixing the system. It’s about restoring democracy and ensuring that the government serves the people, not the corporations. The Supreme Court opened the door for corporations to control our leaders. It’s time for Americans to close it and demand a healthcare system that works for everyone. Until Americans start voting for candidates that promise to provide universal healthcare, the only person they have to blame is themselves.
