Universal Health Care: The Policy That Covers Everyone!
“For 35 years Dr. Joseph Manley enjoyed the lifestyle of the rich and famous as a successful distinguished gynecologist. He had a thriving health clinic in Kansas. He lived in the most affluent neighborhood and treated himself to a new Porsche every year,” ( Pilkington). However, as his age progressed his health regressed. He began to experience difficulty swallowing and involuntary muscle movement, and soon was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. This disease devoured his entire body and forced him out of his own medical practice. So, “instantly, he fell victim to a catch 22 that entrapped many of his own patients: No Work, No Health Insurance, No Treatment.” (Pilkington)
Unlike our Health Care System, disease and sickness don’t discriminate against people. They don’t care about how many years you’ve worked. They don’t care about your distinguished titles. They don’t care about your homes or businesses you’ve established. They don’t care if you end up in poverty. They don’t care if you’re a doctor, family member, millionaire, veteran, or average Joe. These foul ailments seek individuals to kill, destroy, and suffer their fate. No one escapes the raft disease and sickness bestow. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world– No work, No Health Insurance, No treatment—should not exist! Therefore, I adamantly argue, United States government provide Universal Health Care to ensure all citizens have access to medical treatment, set minimum standards for medical field, and to maintain a healthy constituent population.
Universal Health Care must provide all eligible Americans access to medical, dental, and mental health care coverage. Let’s face it, many people don’t go to the doctor because they
simply do not have insurance and can’t afford a doctor’s bill. So, every year millions of people cost the American government and tax payers trillions of dollars in hospital bills, medications, and therapeutic contraptions for preventable diseases. For example, “…the United States now spends $2.4 trillion a year on medical care — vastly more per capita than comparable countries — …on premature deaths caused by illnesses such as diabetes, epilepsy, stroke, influenza, ulcers and pneumonia, according to research by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund published in the journal Health affairs. The U.S. ranks at the bottom of 19 industrialized nations in the number of preventable deaths by these conditions,” (Connolly). We are a nation sworn to protect and serve the people. There will be no one dying to avoid a doctor’s bill if we make health care accessible to everyone.
Furthermore, a Universal Health Care system sets minimum standards those in the medical field to practice and obey. Today’s physicians are distracted, overly cautious, and hesitant to provide health care to their patients due to the over abundance of laws that now protect the patients, basically, they’re afraid of getting sued. However, a Universal Health Care system would force doctors to concentrate on healing the patient rather than focus on insurance procedures, malpractice liability, etc. and improve quality service a patient receives, stop costly medical procedures, and regulate medication prices. “Doctors must practice defensive medicine to avoid getting sued. They’re often restricted by insurance practices, such as what tests can be ordered. Some physicians are even leaving the profession rather than deal with all these non-medical headaches. A simplified universal health system would allow doctors, nurses, and other medical professions to simply focus on doing what’s best for the patient. Medicine is a complex enough subject as it is. Our current system just adds to an already mentally-draining profession,” (http://www.balancedpolitics.org/universal_health_care.htm)
Last, we must maintain a healthy constituent population to ensure our country thrives in the 21st century. Each year, about 2.5 million people die nationwide. Why? Because our government waits until our citizens reach retirement age before providing decent health care benefits and coverage. Usually, people are physically and mentally worn out during this state in life. They’re in rest mode and may never live to reap the health benefits and coverage our county so nicely stores. So, why put off providing health care coverage until you reach retirement age when able bodied constituents need it now? “Tough health care policy decisions revolve around cost-benefit trade-offs. If the country shifted the emphasis from care for the elderly to policies that favor earlier preventive and lifestyle choices then a shift in policy could lead to more people reaching age 65 …,” (Carnegie Mellon University). United States is one of the leading industrialize nation’s in the world. We are leaders among many nations and want to remain that way. We dominate games at the Olympics. We send many soldiers to war. We invent cutting edge technological gadgets. We discover cures for diseases. We must invest and support the idea of having Universal Health Care now to ensure the health of our young citizens who keep will keep this country functioning at top rank status.
Some might argue that Universal Health Care is less beneficial to the public and would do more harm than good because Universal Health Care would increase taxes, decrease the quality service due to increased amounts of patients, lower pay for doctors or anyone involved in the medical field, and limit patients health care choices. However, I argue that we already face these dilemmas now. We have poor health care services due to the abundance of over worked physicians that see excessive patients. We already pay increase taxes into to a system that may not exist in the near future (better known as Social Security). We have limited health care choices due to the high outrageous cost for medical services and medications. However, what we don’t have is a system that provides health care to everyone in need. No one should die in this wealthy country because they can’t pay the doctor—no one! Therefore, the government must provide Universal Health Care to ensure all citizens have access to medical treatment, set minimum standards for medical field, and to maintain a healthy constituent population.
Bibliography
Connolly, Ceci. “U.S. Losing Ground on Preventable Deaths.” 6 October 2009. The Washington
Post. 23 November 2009 <www.washingtonpost.com>.
Pilkington, Ed. Dying for affordable healthcare — the uninsured speak. 21 august 2009. 23
November 2009 <www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/…/healthcare-provision-us-uk >.
Carnegie Mellon University. “Health-Care Debate Linked to Risk of Dying in US and Europe.”
ScienceDaily 22 November 2009. 23 November 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com
/releases/2009/11/091106145256.htm>.