Universal Healthcare - Final

The United States is in desperate need of universal healthcare. It is the only industrialized nation without universal healthcare, a system in which government funding (in most cases from taxes) pays and provides healthcare for all eligible residents in the country. A free and available system for everyone is something that most residents of the US dream of. There is no bias on who can receive healthcare nor dropping of coverage that America's current system has. It eliminates this idea of medicine as a business, only costing citizens a slight increase in taxes. Universal healthcare is the best way to go for the United States, who are in desperate need of change.



For universal healthcare to improve upon the corrupt system the United States has, the problems the old system has must be acknowledged and addressed first. The major problem with healthcare now in the United States is the huge costs. According to the Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, over the past ten years the rate at which costs have been increasing have been as high as 14.7%. Thus, the average American that does have healthcare is estimated to spend close to $4000 a year and close to $225,000 a lifetime. It is no surprise then that 43.6 million Americans under age 65 lack that kind of money and as a result are uninsured.

Healthcare policies are the second yet perhaps equally important problem of healthcare. For the longest time this country has thrived on the use of HMOs, Healthcare maintenance organizations, or more commonly known as health insurance companies. While the idea of a company paying for all your medical costs sounds good, this is actually a fantasy, not a reality. These companies will do anything but cover you. When it comes down to it companies are no more than businesses and thus these HMOs turn healthcare into a business. For HMOs to make money they have to initially promise coverage until the time comes for the need of those benefits. Then every loophole is exploited or they try to minimize their losses so they can still be making a profit. Such is seen in the case of Aetna Health Inc. v. Davila. Aetna Health is an HMO that was providing coverage to Juan Davila. At the time Davila was suffering from a number of conditions that would have been easily treated with a pill named Viouxx. However HMOs don't concern themselves with proper healthcare, only money. Aetna gave him two cheaper pill substitutes that resulted in severe internal bleeding. The sad part is that this is the best case scenario with HMOs. Other times they drop coverage altogether and refuse to pay for operations and medication. If that doesn't happen people will end up like the average American, being overpriced by 118% more on medication even with coverage. What is evident is that healthcare has moved drastically from concerning for people's well being to maximizing profit.





The flaws are evident as is the need for reform. What many Americans are asking then is "How do we fix it?" The answer is universal healthcare. Universal healthcare would be regulated by the government. No longer would you hear the words, "Your insurance won't cover it." A government regulated healthcare system would give you benefits regardless. Best of all it would move away from this injustice of having it in a business structure. HMOs would be abolished. The only cost would be a slight increase in taxes. Over 50% of Americans surveyed in a CBS segment agreed that paying a bit extra on taxes was well worth it.



There are a few doubts on universal healthcare. The major question is the quality of this new system. In response the US has one of the longest average life expectancies of people over 65 in the world. The most plausible reason would be the fact that the elderly have Medicare, a universal healthcare system for people over 65. However, if that's not enough, there's always the countries that already have it in comparison to ours. Studies conducted show that Canada's universal healthcare performs well in response to 5 medical issues while America sits at 2. In addition 19 countries outperform the United States in preventing illnesses leaving the US in last place. The life expectancy is much higher in places with universal healthcare under 65, which only further proves that the system is inefficient even with its high costs. The only downside of universal healthcare is that there may be a slightly longer wait to see a doctor due to the fact that everyone has coverage. This is solely speculation, however, since each environment has a different outcome. Even if it were true, delayed healthcare is better than none which is exactly what most people are getting today.

Universal Healthcare is the best option for the United States. A government regulated system leaves no room for bias nor the greed of the business world. It is "free" and clearly more available for Americans than private healthcare. It is something everyone should opt for.