Having problems paying for primary healthcare is no longer the preserve of the poor or the unemployed, but is affecting even those with medical insurance (Shea, 2005). Fifty million Americans lack medical insurance, while another twenty five
Judging on the past of health care and the major developments that have been made in the last 150 years, the economics of it all have also changed dramatically. The demand for health care is nowhere near meeting the supply, struggling with retaining employees and offering efficient care all over the world. The health care economy is the most grossing industry in the United States, with a gross domestic product of 3.5 trillion dollars. With results like that, elasticity in health care seems somewhat unheard of. The need for health care is dire, yet the prices just increase.
Instead of debating whether or not health care should be universal, the U.S. should be debating on which venues to take to guarantee that all of its citizens have the right to health care. Health care should be considered a basic right not a luxury reserved for the wealthy and the struggling middle class that is able to afford some of it. Human life has greater value than money. Ironically, in the U.S. we rely on private insurance companies that are for profit and that don’t take into a consideration a patient’s health or economic condition. Why do we allow such a system to
Great Britain also began their healthcare program shortly after Germany. Although the form of universal health care has changed with the advances of technology, it is provided in some way or another by every nation in the world except the United States. Universal health care has been recognized as a basic human right and was defined as such in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document was drafted shortly after World War II and voted on by the United Nations. The United States chose not to ratify the social and economic sections of the declaration that covered health care.
The United States is the only industrialized country that does not recognize the human right to health. Franklin Roosevelt in 1943 proposed a "Second Bill of Rights" in which he defined freedom to include "the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health" (Carmalt & Zaidi, 2004). Historically, Americans and their leaders have advocated for a higher standard of living for all yet have fallen short on this issue. When the government and the people of the United States recognize that health care is a right for everyone the citizens of this country will be healthier for it. Carmalt, J.
The right to life is as fundamental as it gets. The US government has already taken steps to ensure the right to life: there are regulations against violence and punishments for those who threaten the right to life; there are traffic lights and signs to protect against accidents, financial programs funded by the government are in place to provide food and shelter for those who cannot afford them, and healthcare is basically one of our nation right not privilege to be accessible to
There would be no lines under a universal health care system in the United States because we have about a 30% oversupply of medical equipment and surgeons, whereas demand would increase about 15%. The US denies access to health care based on the ability to pay. Under a universal health care system all would access care. There would be no lines as in other industrialized countries due to the oversupply in our providers and infrastructure, and the willingness/ability of the United States to spend more on health care than other industrialized nations. Would Universal Health Care result In Government control and intrusion into Health Care resulting in loss of freedom of choice?
Today, it is estimated that over 45 million Americans lack health insurance. Of those uninsured, over eighty percent are working, middle class families. The rising costs of healthcare has caused many American’s to just simply “do without”, and employers are struggling to provide adequate coverage for employees. Of those employers who are able to provide insurance, many of the plans cover only a small number of doctors visits’ a year, and fractional percentages of total prescription costs. It is no secret that the United States has a flawed health care system that needs to be changed drastically.
According to The Kaiser Family Foundation, the average cost of family insurance coverage in the United States was $13,000.00 per year in 2009. USA today reported that the massive cost of coverage has made many Americans decide to forgo health insurance and pay out of pocket in the event of a medical emergency. Americans without health insurance are less likely to receive proper care when it is needed. The
Since the uninsured are frequently unable to pay for the care they receive, the costs for their care are shifted to government programs or private plans, or to the charity of providers, even if unintended. The costly administrative excesses of private health plans, especially when contrasted to government programs, have been well documented. This fragmented system of funding care places an even greater administrative and financial burden on the providers of health care. (McCanne DR, 2004) Although the exact amount is disputed, most policy analysts agree that replacing this fragmented system of funding care with a single, universal, publicly administered insurance program could recover 200 billion dollars or more, which are currently being wasted on useless and sometimes detrimental administrative