The nightly thief wakes up in the morning and then dresses in a suit.

A couple of months ago, my father made an appointment for out of the country vaccinations. The “consultation” ended up being a five-minute google session on the website of the Centers for Disease and Control. As I sat there in the leather chairs, with no bandaids anywhere, I saw my father’s drop. $350 and the first 3 minutes were spent booting up internet explorer. According to our healthcare provider, travel vaccinations are not required; though they still don’t want you to be sick. This shouldn’t happen. We are in a first world country, yet this problem feels the 3rd hand. They could’ve split the bill in half if they just use google chrome.

Our family is fortunate enough to pay for it, but I cannot imagine other Americans going through this problem. Industries that the American people can control bully our pockets.

The United States pays the most in healthcare than any other country in the world. It is because the medical sector puts their interests ahead in government in the form of lobby groups, which gives the government, in the form of a pay to win style of democracy. Similar to any mobile phone game. Here, doctors are paid more and pharmaceutical companies decide how they should price the drug and high utilization prices. We still get the same quality of care which can be found in a different country that’s half the price.

Big Pharma sets the prices and rules on life-saving drugs. The industry has no regulations which create the gouge in prices. For example, Martin Shkreli gouged the price of Daraprim, a drug designed to treat AIDS, from $13.50 to $700 overnight in 2016. This controversial move shed light on the regulation of the pharmaceutical industry. Their prices, their rules.

High drug prices discourage doctors to prescribe medication, which results in lower healthcare quality. In these situations, doctors are forced to choose alternative medications for their patients need. This system favors the rich.

Utilization prices are high due to the lack of regulation. Utilization prices are a percentage of the amount of resources input to commerce compared to the amount of output. The prices are inflated to fit deep pockets of corporations.

Services are more expensive in America compared to other countries: doctors, nurses, surgeons, and others in the field are paid more. This enables surgeries such as a knee replacement to be more expensive than it should be.

Every day, middle-class Americans sacrifice their hard-earned money for adequate care. A solution has risen: Americans should lobby to Congress about the unjustified healthcare prices. Although the 2010 court decision of Citizens United V. FEC gives corporations favorable odds to influence more in public speech, individuals should stand up against and think freely. Which can be solved with the regulation of prices of the drug. The American declaration of independence promises the pursuit of life and happiness. Life should be a counter-argument of government control in a sector. It was promised in the constitution.