Universal Health Care In America

1534 Words7 Pages
Universal Health Care in America The benefits of universal health care (also called socialized medicine) have been debated for many decades. Other industrialized nations are very successful with this type of health care, but the United States government finds it risky and too difficult to handle. Although the expenses for universal health care may have to be paid with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas controlled by the government (i.e. defense, education, etc.), universal health care is necessary for many reasons, including the option of developing a centralized national database which makes diagnosis and treatment easier for doctors. Universal health care is a system that allows the government to give coverage to the entire…show more content…
There have always been reasons to why the U.S. has not taken the step towards universal healthcare. Insurance companies could end up losing many different patrons, the enduring anti-government sentiment, the complications of this type of health care, and even the racial politics of the South have kept the United States from taking the next step towards universal coverage (Quandagno 12). The inevitable truth is that the United States needs socialized medicine, even if it is hard to come by. Health care costs more per person in the U.S. than in any other nation in the world (“Health Systems” 1). According to the US Census, the percentage of citizens within the United States without any type of health care coverage was 15.3%, or 45.7 million people, in 2007(U.S. Census 9). Most people (about 59.3% in 2007) were covered by a health insurance plan related to their employment (U.S. Census 17). The health care system in America is “a system in which the person you work for, or don’t, determines what you pay for medical services” (Barlett, 2). Individuals that are unemployed, live in poverty, failing to meet the stringent requirements for government coverage can find themselves insurance deprived. Medicare and Medicaid, which both have specific requirements to qualify, do not always meet the needs of the people. It is…show more content…
Half of bankruptcies are caused by medical bills, and three-fourths of those bankrupted had health insurance at the time they got sick or injured (Himmelstein 1). Canada, which has a national health care system, has “better measures of access to health care than Americans, even though they spend much less per capita on health care” (Lasser, 1). Universal health care could change the lives of every US citizen. It would open many different doors for not only patients, but for physicians as well. The system may introduce new taxes and spending cuts, but the benefits, including the option of a centralized national database, outweighs the excuses for not executing a plan for national

More about Universal Health Care In America

Open Document