Running head: Required Health insurance?

Required Health Insurance for Every Single American?

Zachary Serpain
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

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Table of Contents
Abstract................................................................................................................................3
Required Health Insurance for Every Single American?.....................................................4
Why Americans Should be Required to Have Insurance.....................................................4
Why Americans Should Not be Required to Purchase Insurance....................................5
Conclusion...................................................................................................................5
References............................................................................................................................7

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Abstract
Should U.S. citizens be required to purchase Health Insurance? By requiring all citizens to
purchase health insurance you can prevent countless financial problems amongst individuals
without insurance such as bankruptcy. Citizens that are insured also tend to live longer and
experience a higher quality of life than those who are uninsured. Requiring citizens to purchase
health insurance also causes issues. Many Americans who do not have insurance can not afford
health insurance. Requiring citizens to purchase health insurance is seen by a lot of Americans
as infringing on their individual rights. Although the government requiring each citizen to be
insured is against individual rights outlined in the constitution, it is a law that needs to be in
place. Bottom Line it is crucial that each and every American has some form of health
insurance. With more people being insured more people have access to care which will improve
overall health statistics for the United States.

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Required Health Insurance for Every Single American?
Part of the Affordable Care act requires every single American to have health insurance
or face a fine. Forcing every citizen to have health insurance certainly has pros like protecting
citizens from various health and financial ailments. Unfortunately, mandatory healthcare has
some issues such as possible denial of constitutional rights and citizens inability to afford health
insurance. Despite the negative aspects of the law, every single American should be required to
have some form of health insurance to help keep themselves and others safe and healthy.
Why Americans Should Be Required to Have Insurance
Part of the job of the government is to protect its citizens. The government protects
citizens from violence and terror with law enforcement and military forces. So why cant they
protect their citizens from diseases, viruses and injury with health care? Only around 11.9% of
Americans are uninsured. (J.Levy 2015) This number is continuing to drop which is a good thing
but it still means that roughly 26 million people are still without health insurance. That puts
these 26 million people under health and financial risk. Insured people on average tend to live
longer and healthier lives than those who are uninsured. This is because those with health
insurance or more likely to seek health care when they become sick or injured. Those without
insurance or more likely to forgo seeing a doctor or a specialist when they are sick or injured
because they are unlikely to be able to afford the high cost of care. Forgoing health insurance is a
huge health risk. Up to 45,000 Americans die each year because they are uninsured. (Wilper et.
all.,2009) So if the government is suppose to look out for the well being of all of their citizens
then they should require all citizens to be insured in order to protect individuals that are
uninsured as well as the general public.

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Why Americans Should Not Be Required to Purchase Insurance
Health insurance is a service you can purchase in order to keep the cost of health care
down. According to the Bill of rights the government can not force you to purchase a specific
good or service. By the transitive property this would mean that the government can not
according to the bill of rights force you to purchase health insurance. Without a doubt it is a very
good idea to have health insurance but, according to the constitution you should have no
obligation to purchase health insurance. If it is in your best interest to go uninsured due to
personal or financial reasons by all means you should be able to forgo purchasing health
insurance because it is your constitutional right. Usually the high cost of health insurance is
why most people choose to go without health care. According to a 2013 poll 61% of U.S.
citizens without health insurance are not covered due to high costs. (anonymous, 2013) The
average monthly premium cost of health insurance in the U.S. is around $235. (Kasier Family
Foundation Ed., 2015) So for some people in tough financial situations they have to make a
choice to either pay for health insurance for the month or buy groceries. Most people in this
situation will have to forgo health insurance. Luckily there are plenty of government programs
to help people afford health insurance. Unfortunately, not everyone who needs it qualifies for the
programs. With the new regulations of Obama care an estimated 5.7 million of the countries
poorest people are without and unable to afford health insurance. (anonymous, 2103) This means
close to 6 million people will go without insurance due to financial struggles and they will be
fined for it? Does that really seem fair? If the government is this invested on making sure
everyone is insured, they should develop a universal health care program so everyone can be
entitled to health care. But for now health care is considered a service that you should not have
to purchase if you can not afford it.

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Conclusion
Requiring each and every citizen to have some sort of health insurance is a very
wise idea. Health insurance is a way for people to afford the health care they need when they are
sick or hurt. Yes, the law infringes upon individual rights and forces you to purchase a service
but, it is a necessary thing to have in order to receive the care you need. The whole situation
boils down to the United States government doing what is best by giving individuals the
opportunity to receive affordable care they need to live a healthy and happy life

(Serapin, 2015)

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References
Levy,J.(2015,April13).InU.S.,UninsuredRateDipsto11.9%inFirstQuarter.Retrieved
fromhttp://www.gallup.com/poll/182348/uninsuredratedipsfirstquarter.aspx?
utm_source=WellBeing&utm_medium=newsfeed&utm_campaign=tiles
Andrew P. Wilper, Steffie Woolhandler, Karen E. Lasser, and Danny McCormick, et al., "Health
Insurance and Mortality in US Adults," American Journal of Public Health, Dec. 2009
KeyFactsabouttheUninsuredthePopulation.(2104,October29).Retrievedfrom
http://kff.org/uninsured/factsheet/keyfactsabouttheuninsuredpopulation/
KaiserFamilyFoundation(Ed.).(2015).AverageMonthlyPremiumsPerPersoninthe
IndividualMarket.Retrievedfromhttp://kff.org/other/stateindicator/individualpremiums/

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