Why America's Health Care System is Broken

America's health care system is in trouble. It's not because it's failing, but because it's working exactly how it was designed. It's a system built on fear and profit, not health and well-being. The government is shut down, and health care costs are skyrocketing. People can't afford their premiums, and the system is collapsing under its own weight. The government shutdown is about more than just spending caps. It's about health care. The same programs that millions of Americans rely on are being used as bargaining chips. Republicans say it's a waste of money. Democrats defend it, but only half-heartedly. Meanwhile, ordinary Americans are left wondering if they'll still have coverage when the dust settles. The health care industry is a trillion-dollar machine. It feeds on our fear of illness, debt, and being uninsured. The five largest insurers made over $60 billion in profit last year. They also spent hundreds of millions lobbying Congress to keep the system just broken enough to be lucrative. The government is paralyzed by politics. The health care system is paralyzed by economics. Both are losing the faith and participation of citizens. When people stop voting, democracy breaks down. When people can't pay for health care, capitalism breaks down. Both are warning signs that the balance between people and power has been lost. The health care crisis is a reflection of the democratic crisis. In both arenas, power has shifted away from citizens toward institutions that no longer answer to them. Lobbyists have replaced voters as the audience that matters. A disengaged electorate becomes a captive market. When people give up on politics, government serves donors. When they give up on reform, health care serves investors. But it doesn't have to be this way. Every other developed democracy has made a different choice. They've decided that health care is a public good, not a private gamble. They've built governments that work for people, not donors. We could do the same. We have the resources. What we lack is courage. We need leadership that's willing to reconnect capitalism and democracy to the people they're meant to serve. We need citizens who are willing to show up, to vote, to speak, to hold their representatives accountable. We need people who refuse to fund systems that exploit them.