On Oct. 9th 2025, the United States issued a 2026 plan for the Flexible Spending Account limit to increase healthcare spending. This raised the annual contribution capacity to be $3,300, up from $3,200 in 2024. In late 2025, there was a large cut in Medicare. This and many other factors contribute to a major healthcare crisis, having not only to do with the quality of care but with the rising costs.
36% of adults had postponed or skipped getting healthcare in 2025, while 75% of uninsured adults have gone without care due to the costs. Those who receive healthcare face bankruptcy or extreme debt due to the rising prices, particularly the charges on patients who are admitted. Those who purchase prescription medication in any pharmacy will notice an increase in payment, even when covered with insurance. Not only that, but millions of people skip wellness checkups for their children due to the high expense. Many individuals in America have also noted that the quality of care by physicians, pharmacists and nurses has changed drastically for the better and for the worse.
More technological advancements have been introduced in modern healthcare, which both benefit and hurt the quality of healthcare. Artificial intelligence has taken the role of diagnosing. This leads to staffing shortages, in which understaffed facilities and overworked caregivers are inconsistent with providing care for patients. Many physicians work in these bigger organizations which can overwork individuals, causing them to step down, lowering the quality of care and increasing conflict for those who need medical assistance.
“We’re overworked, just burned out, and a lot of people are quitting, because first of all, the financial reimbursement is not there,” FHS chemistry and physiology teacher Carrie Fu said. “We used to love helping patients, but now it’s more like a battle. The insurance is not paying us this amount of money, even though we’re putting in more time and effort.”
The healthcare system has been constantly facing ups and downs, but the main query is specifically why the prices of healthcare have gone up. Before, the answer was known that the negative shift of quality care has a huge impact on workers in the medical field. In addition to less workers, major health corporations value and prioritize corporate revenue over assisting patient health. Other reasons that contribute to the rising health costs are the high administrative costs, no price regulation, pharmaceutical costs and profit motives.
Many individuals in the lower to middle income range have a higher chance to be affected by this health crisis, as many find it hard to afford or obtain insurance. In some parts of the U.S., the healthcare system determines between uninsured and underinsured, meaning these hospitals or facilities often shift costs from those with wealth to those who have no health coverage and cannot pay rising bills.
America now faces lower life expectancy and preventable deaths due to poor health outcomes.
“More people are not going to be able to get healthcare that they need,” FHS junior Daniel Silbert said. “So maybe if they’re not dying, they’re still going to have a much lower quality of life. People [will] need to live with chronic conditions, or people will be in the position where mild conditions are going to become worse and worse and worse because they can’t afford that healthcare.”
The current healthcare system is in crisis, and without change, it will continuously be difficult for individuals to receive the help they need. Due to unexpected shortages, the high expenses and the shift in quality of care in America, individuals are struggling to find trust and assistance from the system.
