--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The U.S. has a system that does have a…" description: "\"The U.S. has a system that does have a poor cost-benefit ratio. I mean, 40 million people lack insurance; another 30 million or so are underinsured. Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/karl-lauterbach-34672_care_the-u-s-has-a-system-that-does-have-a-po_2165338.jpg" --- # The U.S. has a system that does have a poor cost-benefit… ![“The U.S. has a system that does have a poor cost-benefit ratio. I mean, 40 million people lack insurance; another 30 million or so are underinsured. The people who are insured do have to worry whether they are able to pay the bills. People become bankrupt because they cannot pay the medical bills…” quote by Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/karl-lauterbach-34672_care_the-u-s-has-a-system-that-does-have-a-po_2165338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/karl-lauterbach-34672_care_the-u-s-has-a-system-that-does-have-a-po_2165338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/karl-lauterbach-34672_care_the-u-s-has-a-system-that-does-have-a-po_2165338.jpg) > “The U.S. has a system that does have a poor cost-benefit ratio. I mean, 40 million people lack insurance; another 30 million or so are underinsured. The people who are insured do have to worry whether they are able to pay the bills. People become bankrupt because they cannot pay the medical bills, and there are vast differences in the quality of care depending on how much you are prepared and able to pay. I think the system is not working well.” [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The U.S. healthcare system is inefficient, leaving many uninsured or underinsured, causing financial hardship **In simple terms:** Healthcare costs are high and coverage is uneven Key Takeaway Advocate for universal, affordable care Themes healthcare policy economics inequality Mood concerned urgent Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - policy debate - patient advocacy - budget planning Key Concepts cost‑benefit analysis insurance markets social safety net Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could improve coverage without massive cost? - How can individuals protect themselves financially? A Different Perspective Political resistance and funding constraints hinder reform ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Lack Insurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-insurance-3877632/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medical bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-bills/) [Million Underinsured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-underinsured-4613565/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Insured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-insured-3731181/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Underinsured People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underinsured-people-4613564/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [I have had patients die because of lack of insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-bush/i-have-had-patients-die-because-of-lack-of-insurance/) [Cori Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-bush/) > [More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/more-of-our-kids-are-graduating-than-ever-before-more-of-our-people/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I think people forget that when people lose Medicaid coverage, they still show up at the hospital when they have a chronic illness or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-think-people-forget-that-when-people-lose-medicaid-coverage-they/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [In Germany it's impossible to go bankrupt for medical bills, because even if you are bankrupt, ... the social solidarity system pays for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/in-germany-it-s-impossible-to-go-bankrupt-for-medical-bills-because/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [Nobody's safe. Health insurance? 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I was very normal and headed for a lifetime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-benedict/i-am-very-abnormal-but-it-wasnt-very-long-ago-that-i-wasnt-so/) [Dirk Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-benedict/) > [I am fighting on many fronts to protect access to affordable health care because I don't want to see medical bills continue to climb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-beshear/i-am-fighting-on-many-fronts-to-protect-access-to-affordable-health/) [Andy Beshear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-beshear/) > [If you want to die, don't make a mistake and not quite kill yourself because the medical bills in America are hideous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/if-you-want-to-die-don-t-make-a-mistake-and-not-quite-kill-yourself/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [“Are you willing to accept anything less than the credit you want, the credit you need and the credit you deserve?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-gregory/are-you-willing-to-accept-anything-less-than-the-credit-you-want-the/) [Tyler Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-gregory/) > [“When I was traveling the world on my quest, I asked the health ministry of each country how many citizens had declared bankruptcy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-reid/when-i-was-traveling-the-world-on-my-quest-i-asked-the-health/) [T.R. 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But let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-lemon/i-know-that-some-things-are-beyond-our-control-some-illnesses-are/) [Don Lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-lemon/) > [“If repairing one's credit is as easy as sending some dispute letters to the credit bureaus then why doesn't everyone have good credit?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-gregory/if-repairing-one-s-credit-is-as-easy-as-sending-some-dispute-letters/) [Tyler Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-gregory/) > [Yeah! My medical bills for the Black Friday store fights were less what I saved!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yeah-my-medical-bills-for-the-black-friday-store-fights-were-less/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Karl Lauterbach > [I think the Scandinavian health systems are better when it comes to preventative care than the German system, because in the Scandinavian systems, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/i-think-the-scandinavian-health-systems-are-better-when-it-comes-to/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [In the '50s and in the '60s, the private insurance system originally was a benefit for the bureaucrats in Germany. And this system became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/in-the-50s-and-in-the-60s-the-private-insurance-system-originally-was/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [The German system is way less fair than it is expected to be, and the difference is becoming bigger. 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We do know very well that people who become unemployed are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/health-insurance-in-germany-continues-with-no-change-if-you-lose-a/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [The quality of health care in Germany is not as good as people sometimes believe it to be. We have problems with chronic diseases.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/the-quality-of-health-care-in-germany-is-not-as-good-as-people/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [In Germany there is ranking for contribution rate, so the cheaper sickness funds with good quality can both advertise their better quality plus their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/in-germany-there-is-ranking-for-contribution-rate-so-the-cheaper/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [The German health care system is unique in its attempt to combine competition among sickness funds on the one hand and a universal coverage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/the-german-health-care-system-is-unique-in-its-attempt-to-combine/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [In Germany it's impossible to go bankrupt for medical bills, because even if you are bankrupt, ... the social solidarity system pays for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lauterbach/in-germany-it-s-impossible-to-go-bankrupt-for-medical-bills-because/) [Karl Lauterbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lauterbach/) > [I think we have in Germany too many sickness funds. We started with more than 1,000 sickness funds. 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People become bankrupt because they cannot pay the medical bills, and there are vast differences in the quality of care depending on how much you are prepared and able to pay. 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