Women’s rugby player Ariana Ramsey’s videos showcasing her appointments have gone viral, and now many others are making good use of Paris's medical services.
A 2022 study by The Commonwealth Fund found that the U.S. is the only high-income country without universal healthcare. Many American athletes do have access to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s health insurance policy. But their eligibility for the program is up to their sport’s governing body, and an independent commission appointed by Congress found that “some of the most talented competitors under our flag go to sleep at night under the roof of a car or without sufficient food or adequate health insurance.” More than a quarter of U.S. athletes report earning less than $15,000 per year, and more than 40% said they paid out of pocket for healthcare, with an average cost of $9,200 per person. Only 16% said they’d been reimbursed.
Because the U.S. is one of three countries whose elite athletes receive no government funding, athletes know that they need to find opportunities to build their brands to try to earn enough money to continue competing. Ramsey, for example, came to the Olympics planning to focus on both rugby and making videos, because, she says, “The only other job for women in sports, really, is social media.”
from the article: https://www.si.com/olympics/american-athletes-taking-full-advantage-of-free-healthcare-olympic-village-france