Firstly, what is Universal Healthcare?
Well, it is a system of healthcare where medical coverage is accessible to all members of a country or region.
Perhaps your immediate thoughts turn to government control or interference, but this is not true.
There are different systems in which Universal Healthcare can be applied.
Here are a few examples:
Where Private Health Insurance is concerned, it is a system where there is limited government or social funding, with some exceptions for the poorest of society, which is exactly what the the United States uses (the only western country to do so, and one of very few in the world not to have Universal Healthcare).
However, countries where single-payer systems (especially tax-based ones) also have Private Health Companies still operating within the country, such as BUPA in the UK.
Why is all this information necessary? It’s simple. The system that the United States uses is generally damaging to the majority of people. A Universal Healthcare System is required to help the people of the US to improve as a country.
No matter if you are Left Wing, a Liberal or Right-wing, Universal Healthcare can benefit everyone.
Now, you might be thinking “But Celrit, I don’t want the government being involved with my healthcare,” and I can say, I understand. But a Universal Healthcare system is not meant to be government-controlled.
In the UK, while the NHS may be owned by the Government, it is medical professionals and managers who understand the system that runs it, not run by the government.
I dislike the conservative government, but that does not mean I dislike the NHS system. It’s one thing a great majority of people in the devolved countries support.
But there are far more pressing concerns for the US, one of them is how much insurance companies charge, or even refuse to cover certain individuals because they have too many medical concerns. How is this fair? Why should people who deal with finance determine if you are able to be covered for a medical procedure?
Or, how can Insurance companies get away charging you an extortionate amount of money from your paycheck?
The beauty of a Universal Healthcare system, regardless of the type, means the payments are regulated by the government to ensure you are not out-of-pocket. You keep more of your money than paying so much into health insurance.
Perhaps you will point out that your health insurance premiums were increased because of Obamacare, but did the Affordable Care Act actual state these insurance companies had to increase their prices? No. The Insurance Companies raised their premiums themselves because they did not like the concept of ensuring more people had access to healthcare.
How can we allow a system in which healthcare is allowed to be afforded by those who are rich? Millions of families, even with the ACA, are still unable to get insurance, or medical care is still too expensive for their wages. I mean, $4,000 for an ambulance journey? How is this even considered acceptable?
Not only this, but the US spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world, not because of medical procedures or doctors, but because of administration, legal fees, and insurance companies. A universal Healthcare system will decrease the amount not only you will pay as a whole, but how much the Federal Government will spend on healthcare.
Maybe you think that health insurance is something like housing or car insurance, but is that a fair comparison? A car is something you purchase; a house is something you purchase.
But your health? Your health is something you are born with. Your health is not a luxury item or piece of technology, it is what you need to survive. How can health insurance companies charge you for something you did not select yourself? You are born with your health and it should not be a commodity to be priced.
Perhaps you think that the insurance system is fine. But can the same be said by a server at your favourite restaurant, fast food place, or another service you like to use?
You may not think you need a Universal Healthcare system, but for any service you require or partake in, those workers will require health coverage just as much as you do. If they have good health provided by Universal Healthcare, this means you will be able to continue enjoying the service you use.
After all, one of the major benefits of a Universal Healthcare service is providing a healthy workforce for the economy.
Let’s also not forget though, that in the US, people who do not have much money have to sacrifice food for medicine, or vice-versa. In the richest country in the world, is it right to see people starving themselves in order to get much-needed medicine, or forgoing life-saving procedures just so they can eat?
In many of the northern states of America, people cross the border just so they can purchase the same drug in Canada at a much cheaper price.
This leads to one of the major problems of US healthcare, the drug companies and lobbyists in congress. After Health Insurance companies, these are the worst people in US healthcare, charging hundreds or thousands of dollars for your drugs, despite being cheap to make. With a universal healthcare system, drug prices are regulated to ensure those that need them are able to afford them.
Overall, the US healthcare system is damaging to everyone, no matter if you can afford it or not.
You pay more than you should, others cannot afford it, and your insurance companies see your health as a profit.
Now, will Universal Healthcare work in the US? Of course, but this depends on the system.
Personally, I do not think a single-payer system will work, especially a tax-based one. It would be more logical to employ a National Insurance System at a federal level and allow each state to decide if it wishes to be single-payer or tax-based. The Federal Government’s responsibility in health care should be merely an oversight, to ensure all citizens have insurance, regulate how much insurance companies should charge, and subsidise those that cannot.
But what do you think NSG? Does the US seriously need to rethink Healthcare? Should the US move towards Universal Healthcare, and if so, which version should they employ?
