Presidential Town Hall: Here’s why our healthcare is so expensive

In the town hall debate this past Sunday, we were reminded of the issues surrounding rising healthcare costs in the United States. Americans spend more on healthcare as a percentage of income than people almost anywhere else in the world, and it’s certainly not the result of a lack of technology. We have some of the best medical technology in the world as evidenced by the number of countries and organizations that utilize our American medical technology.

However, the average American is not experiencing these advantages. We cannot afford the steep price of this world-class healthcare — Gallup polling data illustrates this in a simple fashion. While the ACA has contributed to these problems, it is only one piece of the puzzle.

Over the past year, there has been a witch hunt to crucify pharmaceutical CEOs for the absurd prices their companies charge for life-saving drugs, such as Mylan’s EpiPen. Politicians want to pin the blame on people they consider evil CEOs, but these CEOs aren’t evil… they’re just doing their jobs. While most would agree that this price-gouging is unacceptable, the origin is much deeper than a few bad apples. Our economic landscape, including healthcare, is the direct result of government policies, so we must stop stifling the market to allow free market economics to blossom again.