Universal Healthcare Insurance : America's Choice

Throughout history, it has been debated that a universal health care system should be offered to the United State’s people by their government. Universal Health Care means that every legal citizen in the designated region will receive coverage regardless or health, income, race, gender, wealth, etc. The purpose of this is to provide everyone the quality care they need without the highly expensive costs. Ideally, the government would provide this coverage, eliminating the big insurance agencies’ high costs, because unlike these private companies, the government isn’t in the business of making money but rather providing the best possible resources to their citizens. Many other successful countries

Health care cost have continued to increase by many accounts at an even faster rate than ever. Premiums are expected to rise by more than 10% in most states next year. There are many reasons for this. Health insurance companies need healthy young people to buy insurance to fund sicker, older ones. Also the growing number of uninsured and underinsured is putting an extreme strain on the health care system as costs continue to rise. The uninsured and underinsured sustain “economic costs from their lack of coverage, including disability and lost work for additional aggregate costs of $65 to $130 billion”, also the annual cost for all of those uninsured at least part of the year was $100 billion. During 2001, 2.2 million Americans lost their insurance… Because it so expensive to self-insure when unemployed, many unemployed individuals cannot find an affordable way to obtain health coverage and remain uninsured. Therefore, having a universal health care system would do both provide access care to all, but at the same time raise the cost and reduce the quality of care.

Universal Health Care is an umbrella term used to identify a health care system that not only provides health care but, also financial safeguard for every inhabitants of a particular country. The idea of Universal Health Care is administering health protection to each citizen. This includes insuring risk protection, and easier access to high quality health care. The first mainstream use of Universal Health Care was implemented in Germany in 1883, this care system later spread to other countries in Europe. According to the National Coalition on Health Care there are 45 million Americans without access to health care, fortunately the United States has benefit, and draw backs of watching how the Universal Health Care system effects countries were it is in use.

The United States of America is the only major country that does not offer healthcare coverage as a right of citizenship. Most established (advanced) countries have a universal healthcare program, which means accessibility to every citizen. It is a system usually operates by the federal government, it has social rules and regulations and is financed through different new taxations. This issue had been discussed for years- during the Depression and World War II the United States had no funds to implement the universal healthcare. As an outcome, a privet division was established that did not provide healthcare to all the citizens. However, the government’s role of providing healthcare insurance developed as a regulatory form to ensure that the elderly and poor were able to receive healthcare.

The promise of a universal health care in the United States over the years has only been limited to more words and a very little action. Those who can afford to pay for their well-being are better with or without it, but it’s the people living below the poverty line who are the real victims of these broken policies. With an increasing health care costs, it has become extremely difficult to get treatments for even the minor illness if one is not insured. This is a plaguing concern in both the small and big cities across America today.

Universal health coverage ensures that all people use the health services they need, of adequate quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the services provided are affordable (“What is Universal Coverage?” 2015). France, Germany, Italy, The United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and Russia all have universal health care. This means that the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not provide all its citizens with health care. With universal health care, countries provide their inhabitants with basic healthcare services as long as they are citizens. No one can be denied healthcare in these countries regardless of their social status (“Universal Health Care Coverage Definition | Investopedia” 2011). In the United States, the healthcare system is much different. Facilities are mainly owned and operated by the private business sector which causes the price of treatment and medical visits to be higher than those in countries who have hospitals and insurance run by the government. For example, the United Kingdom in which “Health care and health policy for England is the responsibility of the central government, whereas in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it

The concept of universal health care can be controversial because of what it entails of the people. Having a universal health care system requires the recipients to pay a sort a tax to fund the benefits. This can infringe on freedom of the individual since they would have no choice but to pay their tax.10 For poorer countries, providing health care can be costly while others in wealthier countries may not wish to provide health care services and leave it to private insurers despite its benefits. This causes numerous problems for making health care a human right as seen in Jordan.

Everyone gets sick, sometimes it’s as simple as a common cold, other times it’s something very serious like cancer. Treatments for any sickness can cost a lot, thankfully there is health care to help these people pay for the cost of medical bills. Many people do not have the luxury of proper healthcare. Around 38 million people do not have proper healthcare and another 44 million Americans do not have healthcare at all. Healthcare is a natural right for everyone as it states in the Declaration of Independence and the United Nations Universal Declaration. The government has the money to pay for universal healthcare for all U.S citizens, but they choose not to. Lastly other countries have free healthcare and America should too. Healthcare is a natural right for every human and the United States should follow other countries footsteps in having universal healthcare.

World Health Organization (WHO) defines a universal health coverage, as a system where all citizens of a country have access to health services without incurring financial hardship. According to WHO, the systems needs to be efficient, has to provide vital medicine as well as technology and medical professionals. The system has to at least meet the basic health needs, including: HIV, TB, maternal and baby/child health as well as various non-communicable diseases. The care under the universal coverage is to be integrated and include preventive medicine, treatment of diseases and further rehabilitation. The universal coverage has a great impact on the entire population by improving population’s health, assuring access to health care,

Nation by nation, state by state, from the poor to the wealthy, Universal Health Care is an idea and public policy that is quickly becoming the norm. The United States however, remains almost exclusively the only country that does not provide Universal Health Care for its citizens. With our newly elected government attempting to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, our attempt in providing affordable health insurance for all, a public policy with high approval from both parties, this could be our golden opportunity to provide high level health coverage for all of our citizens. I will compare Kerala, formerly one of the poorest states in India, and their implementation of universal health care, with the United States.

Universal health coverage (UHC) is one of the most common methods used mostly by middle-income countries. It ensures everyone that they will be able to obtain health services without them having to suffer from financial problems. UHC may help America in many ways. For example, universal health coverage can lower the price of healthcare. Did you know that America uses about $9,451 per person on healthcare? In the United Kingdom, one of the countries that have universal health coverage, they only spend about $4003 on healthcare. Universal health coverage is regulated by the government, so they reduce the amount of the healthcare. The difference n the money they spend on healthcare is very clear between America and countries with UHC. However,

Health care has been one of the major pressing issues in America over the past decade as many Americans are finding themselves uninsured mostly because they can't afford health care. According Investopedia.com medical expenses result in over 62% of bankruptcies in America making it the number one cause for bankruptcies. Though, how can America support a universal health care bill. If we also have multiple benefit bills such as social securities act, worker compensation,and bankruptcies.

The current debate surrounding the usage of universal healthcare in America is troubling because it is comprised almost entirely of void information of the principles behind the project. That being said such an important thing as health care is one of the most sensitive subjects in the United States. A major concern is that universal health care would be to expensive, and where would the money come from, who would it really benefit, and would treatment be the same or undermined. But I think the overall aspect should be on if, is universal health care really benefiting the American people.

Universal health care plan would help American citizens to obtain health services without suffering financial hardship paying for it (Kieny, 2013). Implementing a universal health plan that created nominal co-pays for services, and drugs, would benefit all American citizens.

Universal Health Coverage: Assessing Political Landscape as a Determinant of Achieving UHC in Low- and Middle-Income Countries