The American health care system is in a downward spiral. The American public is in a crisis situation when it comes to its health. The gap between quality health care and costly health care has grown to significant proportions. Many Americans cannot afford health care or the health care is at substandard levels. Children do not receive the proper treatment and care needed for healthy growth and function because society has reached a point at which privatized health care is just too costly for the parents of said child. The quality to cost ratio of the American health care industry must be equivocated and reduced if the American nation is to maintain its first world status. The American health care system has failed the very people that rely on it, and needs to be reorganized and restructured to fit the needs of its consumers. Within the United States live 293,834,000 people. An estimated 46,995,000 of the people who reside within the United States are uninsured (US Census Bureau 2006). So about sixteen percent of all Americans are uninsured. This number may not seem large but it is. This number encompasses men and women as well as children under eighteen through people over sixty-five. This number also grows every year according to the census bureau. From 2005 to 2006 the number of uninsured people rose almost two million. This seems like a very high number of uninsured people for one of the most powerful and wealthy nations on earth. Health insurance is the cost of covering medical expenses one might incur throughout the year. This industry was started during President Nixon's term when he authorized the creation of the HMO(Health Management Organization). HMO's is the name given to private insurance providers, also commonly referred to as PPOs. These private companies agree through contracts with their customers(patients) that in return for a monthly payment, the cost of certain medical expenses will be covered, such as doctors visits or certain medical necessities. The United States' healthcare system is ranked thirty-seven out of 190 countries worldwide (World Health Organization). America fell behind the French, who came in first, and Italy, who came in second. The worst part is that our country fell behind Columbia, who came in 22nd and only slightly ahead of Slovenia, 38th, and Cuba, 39th. Even if Cuba is 39th in the world, their healthcare is free to everyone. (Sicko) The average American household is to be considered middle-class and does not earn over one-hundred thousand dollars a year. In fact out of 111, 617, 000 American households, over 91.5 million of them bring in less than one-hundred thousand dollars a year, before taxes.(US Census Bureau) These statistics vary by state, but in every case the majority of households bring in less than 75 thousand dollars a year. In my household we make between ninety thousand and one-hundred thousand dollars a year, but we also live in New Jersey, where the taxes are high and prices steep. After paying for car insurance, home insurance, the mortgage, and possibly college tuition, or car loans, medical expenses may just be too much. When a person goes to the doctor, they are expected to pay a co-pay at the time of the visit. Most co-pays range from twenty to thirty dollars. This is completely ridiculous seeing as the patient is already paying for health coverage. In America we are expected to pay high prices for procedures performed in other countries for free. For example, the price of delivering a baby could range anywhere between five hundred dollars and twenty-five thousand dollars, depending on insurance coverage and exact procedure performed. The cost of delivering a child in the United Kingdom by way of hospital is non existent (Sicko). The difference in price is staggering. In America, we view the medical industry as just that, a