The Pros And Cons Of Universal Healthcare

“That the U.S. health care system is broken and needs to be fixed is widely agreed to be true” (Universal Health Care Opposing Views p 19) is immediately apparent following a brief research of the organization of health care in the nation. There is an inability to control rising health care costs, and the system, although considered the most technologically advanced in the world, is riddled with waste and inefficiency. Year on year, doctors are spending increasingly more time dealing with insurance related administrative work rather than healing patients, there is gross overuse of care because employees view healthcare as part of a work-related benefit package, access to health care is based on ability to pay, and there is constant anxiety caused by the fear of losing employer-sponsored coverage. In contrast, a system of universal healthcare offers free services that are accessible to all, releases doctors from insurance paperwork to focus on healing, removes overuse of care because citizens fund the services through the payment of taxes, and may lead to healthier populations, among other things. Therefore, although vastly different from the current system, one could consider whether the introduction of universal healthcare would be beneficial for the USA?

The subject matter of universal health care is important because the current system of health care in America is economically and morally wrong. The United States spends more than double on health care and still millions are left without coverage. During the Progressive Era, AALL (American Association of Labor Legislation) proposed a bill which provided coverage to those making less than $1200 and would be provided services such as physicians, hospitals, and nurse which would be shared between workers, employers, and the state. This system was opposed by the AFL (American Federation of Labor) because it felt this movement would weaken unions. Furthermore, Bill Clinton proposed a system of universal health care which would provide health coverage

           In a country where healthcare is a decision, many debate if our country should keep our health care system privatized. Health care is an essential need in society because individual health can change at any time without warning at any time. While there are both pros and cons of this system, the pros outway the cons. I believe that our nation should ensure basic health care to all legal citizens, no matter the class. Many Americans fall into circumstances where they are not able to pay the expensive bills that privatized insurance companies billhave so they do not have chose to not have insurance at all. Universal health care gives those people the means of financial support when they medically need

Universal healthcare has been a big issue and a major problem for Americans, especially for people without it. Universal health care (Montgomery, Kelly. “Frequently asked questions.” formosapost.com. Health Insurance, 15 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

To be or Not To be: A comprehensive in depth review addressing the various sides of providing Americans with a Universal Healthcare system and weighing its Pros and Cons.

Many Americans try to find reasons to why we may or may not have universal health care for all. Although the pro and cons list go on and on, it is understood that health care is and should be treated as a priority. It is a basic need of each person not only in the US but around the world. Despite gender, race, sexual orientation and most importantly age universal or single player health care is considered the best option for everyone. However, the debate amongst government officials is whether we employ a single player health care system or an overall universal health care system. Both systems would benefit Americans especially those who struggle to keep paying for a law that is required but maybe not so desired or financially beneficial for everyone. Being able to be realistic about this necessity becomes hazy even more so as the actual demand for professional medical associates and their services will surely increase, while the salary and compensation of those employed in this field will ultimately suffer.

Universal healthcare is a very controversial subject in the US. One argument is that universal health care systems would bring costs down and increase our access to care no matter financial status. Others however, argue that universal healthcare would be too expensive and would reduce the quality of care you were receiving. However, this is not true because if everyone had access to the same care there wouldn't be a need for competition in the market. There would be no one to beat or be better against because everyone would be receiving the same attention no matter where they were seen.

The U.S. is one of three members of OECD, the other two being Greece and Poland, without universal health care. In 2005 the United States, as well as other members of the World Health Organization, signed the World Health Assembly resolution, which stated that they would "transition to universal coverage of their citizens... with a view to sharing risk among the population and avoiding catastrophic health-care expenditure and impoverishment of individuals as a result of seeking care.” So, the question is, why hasn’t the U.S. adopted a single-payer plan? It’s apparent that the U.S. should implement universal health care, as it would improve public health and is a right of the people.

The United States is one of the only remaining developed countries that does not provide Universal Health Care. Universal Health Care supplies all of a countries residents with free health care, meaning that going to the doctor and receiving treatment costs the individual nothing. Introducing Universal Health Care coverage would cut insurance companies out of the health coverage picture. Universal Health care will leave doctors with one focus, treating the patient to the best of their abilities. Universal Health Care should be implemented in to the American Health Reformation Plan.

While some argue that a switch to universal healthcare will cost up to $1.5trillion,4 there are other factors at play that influence the economy. Most Americans have health insurance through their employer which causes a huge financial strain on that employer, which is in turn reflected in product and service prices. If the price of goods and services goes up, that could end up hurting the United States’ global competitiveness. Citizens are unwilling to leave their current employer and possibly start their own business for fear of not being able to afford health insurance on their own.5 Some of those would-be entrepreneurs could create the next big product that becomes a critical part of the national economy. On average, the typical family of four in America pays over $20,000 annually on health insurance,7 money that could be pushed back into the economy. This is all in addition to the societal costs caused by the lack of universal health care such as fewer years in the workforce, caused by poor health, and higher cost to public programs like Medicare and the criminal justice system.5 If someone is uninsured until they reach the appropriate age to enroll in Medicare, they could have pre-existing, otherwise preventable conditions that will end up costing more money than it would have to treat them in the first place. In 2005, economist Dr. Kenneth Thorpe published a report in which he calculated the overall

On March 23, 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed by President Obama, raising the question for many of whether this new law was going to be more helpful or hurtful. With universal healthcare, healthcare coverage would be increased tremendously, costs would be reduced, jobs would be created, and consumers would be protected. Conversely, it will also raise taxes and wait times, lead to a smaller number of doctors, and infringe on some employers’ 1st amendment rights. Presenting both arguments for and against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows one to draw a conclusion on whether the new program will benefit or hinder the citizens of the United States.

With universal healthcare being more affordable, everyone gets equal access to medical health care. This can lead to a reduction in the number of medical issues suffered by our society. According to Howard K. Koh, M.D., “we can ‘absolutely’ expect for overall public health to improve if we provide quality, affordable health care coverage for all Americans.” (Cohen, 2009) This means people would miss less work and/or school. This also means that more people could be seen for some of the most basic ailments such as colds,

According to the United States census Bureau 47.9 million persons in the US which is approximately 15.4% of the entire US population, in 2012 lacked health insurance. Mexico and the US are the only nations of the thirty-four member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that do not provide their citizens with universal health care. On the other hand, health care right should be provided to any person in the developed world and no one should be excluded from it. Universal health care would enhance public health, put an end to medical bankruptcies, minimize overall spending in healthcare, assist small businesses as well as the fact that health care must be a crucial service offered by the government (Mangan, 2014).

Since the beginning of human civilization, our health and well-being has sustained a high level of importance, because one’s physical and mental condition are things that are necessary to care for. The issue however remains in how our governments should assist in this care and how involved they should be in the world of doctors, drugs and healthcare companies. Many have strong opinions on this complex issue, and governments have attempted many different strategies which have been met with a sweeping range of results, from the corrupt health care companies which can be seen in the US to systems which have been denounced as communism to everything in between. Personally, I believe that completely universal healthcare is the best for society as a healthy population increases economic productivity, the system allows you to contribute incrementally over time and your wealth should not influence your access to care.

Every healthcare system in existence has advantages and disadvantages. Each healthcare system benefits different populations. The universal healthcare system, however, is often believed to be one of the best healthcare systems in the world. It is questionable why this is presumed because this system has a number of flaws that creates challenges for doctors, families, and communities. Many people can find themselves frustrated due to long waiting lists and the seemingly apathetic work of physicians when it comes to the care of their patients. A previous 5-year resident of Canada experienced the challenges of the universal healthcare system first hand. In an interview, she declared that “if someone needed to go to the doctor they had to plan