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Implementing Universal Healthcare Coverage For All Citizens

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The United States is in a period of transition in regards to healthcare. After the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more widely known as “ObamaCare”, in 2010, many dissenting politicians looked towards Europe to find critiques of the universal systems already in place. Scandinavian countries and the United Kingdom were the main targets of allegations that the United States was attempting to become socialist. However, there is an alternative path to universal healthcare that may provide a better option for the United States during this time of policy reform. I argue that the United States should seek to emulate the Netherlands in implementing universal healthcare coverage for all citizens. Although the United States has attempted …show more content…

An alternative lies in the Bismarck model of healthcare. In this system, employers and employees jointly finance insurance through payroll deductions (PNHP, 2010). In contrast to the U.S. insurance industry, insurance plans in this model do not make a profit but must include all citizens. This option may provide a better choice for the U.S. because doctors and hospitals remain private and people still have the freedom to choose their own plans (Wallace, 2013). According to Michael Borowitz, a senior health policy analyst at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, “What makes it most interesting from a U.S. perspective is that it uses private insurers, [instead of Medicaid and Medicare] the public insurance is actually covered through private insurance, thorough the government regulating private insurers” (PBS, 2009). This model is what the United States should emulate in the future to ensure the better health of a nation. The system in the Netherlands provides a success story of Bismarck system implementation.
Country statistics According to the World Health Organization the Netherlands has a total population of 16,759,000 as of 2013 (WHO, 2015). Approximately 89% of the population lives in an urban setting (WHO, 2015). The gross national income per capita in 2013 was $43,210, and the total expenditure on

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