Similar to education, for instance, health care is a basic need of every human being and should be a fundamental right of all US citizens. Universal healthcare is a system that provides quality medical services to all of its citizens. The United States might be the only country that does not offer publicly funded health care to all of its people. Overall, healthcare coverage is too expensive, and therefore, the practices of insurance companies are often more interested in profits rather than offering health care to those in need. Such conditions are incompatible with U.S. standards, and it is time for the government to acknowledge the issue and provide universal health care coverage for all its citizens. “Universal healthcare is a system that provides quality medical services to all of its citizens.” The government needs to offer it to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. It is not merely a privilege for middle and upper-income. One common argument is against providing universal health care (UHC) is that it too expensive. The Washington Post reveals that congressional Republicans capitalized on a recent study that Bernie Sanders's healthcare plan “would cost the federal government $33 trillion by 2031. (Washington). Bernie's plans would ironically end up costing taxpayers more than then actual healthcare insurance and therefore conflict with his idea of free at low cost. With such high stakes, people would then be burdened with a common will. While the government needs to put more emphasis on helping out all citizens taking neighbors is not the most well-thought approach The primary purpose of UHC is that provide people with financial struggles to get the assistance they need. This system provides basic needs for all people, and it doesn’t discriminate against anyone, especially immigrants. It mainly helps those that unemployed or having hard times getting health care when they need the most in their life.
Even if UHC would cost Americans more money each year, people need to reflect on what morals of the country they would like for their future generations to live in. What kind of ethics do we have if we, the people, are more willing to deny health care to others by saving a couple of hundred dollars per year? “No ethical principle can eliminate the fact that individual interests must sometimes yield to collective needs”(Childress). According to Lawrence Gostin, a government “is compelled by its role as the elected representative of the community to act affirmatively to promote the health of the people”(Gostin) yet they “cannot unduly invade individuals’ rights in the name of the common good.”(Gostin) Unfortunately in a system with privileges and individualism, little room remains for compassion and understanding. The US has a moral duty to provide universal healthcare to its citizens. It is now time that Americans realize the immorality of how the US hospitals are forced to turn away the sick and needy. Only due to lack of funds immense amount of it to help others. The most significant advantage of universal healthcare is that lowers health care costs for the nation. In the future, the government will control the price of medication and medical services through trade agreements. The purpose of it eliminates the administrative costs of dealing with different private health insurers. Doctors would only have to deal with one government agency. Compared to dealing with many private insurance companies, such as Medicare, and Medicaid. It will standardize billing procedures and coverage rules. Companies don't need to hire staff to deal with regulating the health insurance company rules. It will also force hospitals and doctors to provide the same standard of service at a low cost to every citizen. In the US patients pay for premier service which is unfair to people that cannot afford it. Health They charge more to get a higher profit, leading to higher costs. Universal health care creates a healthier workforce.
Another argument against UHC in the United States is that other national health care systems, such as England, France, or Canada, are bankrupt or rife with healthcare issues. The nature of insurance in Germany has found a nice middle ground between completely a socialized single-payer system and a system that is similar to the US. In Germany, you still are required to pay for insurance. It is not free unless the exception is impoverished, elderly, disabled, or cannot work. It has more to do with how much you pay that is the draw. In the USA, “On average, the national cost in 2018 is $440/month for single coverage”(people keep). Only cover about half of the medical expenses”. That is ridiculous, and it has led to so many people being reluctant or just refusing to go to the doctor. In Germany, However, if“you’re a student you pay around 900 euro ($1024.00) a month,” and that is it. It covers the doctor’s visits, eye exams, ear nose, and throat doctor, dental care, etc.” If someone has any health issues, it’s covered no questions asked. People don’t have to try to calculate if they can afford the co-pay. Also, don’t have to worry about taking an emergency ride in an ambulance. It takes the stress out of that which is already so stressful. The only things that you are ever required to pay for are some prescriptions and elective procedures. However, they are many drawbacks to the German healthcare system. UHC opponents claim that we should be wary of imitating foreign healthcare systems because people in other countries have to wait longer to see the doctor..”(theatlantic) Opponents also commonly accuse that these systems of being unable to pay for themselves, are racking up losses year by year. The first is that healthcare workers make much less money. While this doesn’t automatically seem like such a terrible thing, because doctors make so much in the USA, it when-when you realize how much of a price cut doctors take to work in Germany. It’s not that German doctors are poor. “The average German primary-care doctor makes around $123,000 a year before taxes. that’s about one-third less than the U.S. average.”(NPR). Which is a huge price cut for German doctors compared to us? The salary is the same as a manager of a restaurant. As a result, Germany has a hard time keeping its doctors from moving out of the country to work. After all, if people could make four or five times as much with the same set of knowledge just by working in a different country, why wouldn’t they? A right amount of truth lies in these claims, but Americans must need to remember to put those problems in correlation with the issues of the US system. It’s true that people have to wait to see a doctor in countries with UHC systems, but we in America have to wait as well. It makes the waiting lines it common problem for all nations. People often schedule appointments weeks in advance, only to have crowded waits in the doctor’s so-called waiting room. Despite what the other views claims against the UHC, a universal system will still save lives and encourage the health of all Americans. Comparing the Universal Healthcare System also known as the Canadian System with the United States’ HMO emphasizes cost.
Conclusion
Every life on the surface of this earth has an equal amount of right to life. The presence of an affluent American should not be worthier in the right to reality than that of a low-income citizen. Neither should the life of a bishop be more critical than that of an Islam child. Every life is needed to sacred and equal. Without a healthy citizen, no nation of people could fight enough to either demand their freedom or maintain the independence that has been already gained. “Viewing healthcare as a privileged also perpetuated the cycle of poverty which so many Americans are trapped in.”(scholar blog) Why has public education been so readily accepted, but not health care coverage? It is now time for Americans to start considering socially about health in the same manner as education and police services: as the fundamental rights of US citizens.