Singletary 1

Jackson Singletary

Ms. Jorgensen

English 10 H P4

2 May 2019

The Debate Over Universal Healthcare

Universal Healthcare is “​a system that provides quality medical services to all citizens.

The federal government offers it to everyone regardless of their ability to pay” (Amadeo 1).

While this seems like a benefit to the people receiving it there are pitfalls and advantages. On the

political side the Left and its factions are the main supporters of this shift in policy, while the

Right opposes the idea all together. Due to the debate over Universal Healthcare it is important

for the people to know the consequences of this change in policy, especially the negative aspects.

Universal Healthcare’s main purpose, if instituted in the US, would be to unify insurance

companies and provide equal and cost free care to all Americans. Although the idea is good on

paper will it work in reality? Through the Department of Veterans Affairs, socialized medicine,

another name for universal healthcare, is currently in operation. In recent events many veterans

have been committing suicide in protest of the poor conditions they are met with (Jackson 1). As

PTSD patients, amputees, and many others come to the VA expecting care, reports of long waits

and ineffective treatments are common. And to go along with this universal healthcare would

also mean raised taxation and the requirement for healthy people to pay for others’ medical bills.

“Chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease, make up 85% of health care costs. These

diseases can often be prevented with lifestyle choices. The sickest 5% of the population

consumes 50% of total health care costs. The healthiest 50% consume only 3% of the nation's
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health care costs” says Kimberly Amadeo. So if instituted in the US would it be worth a healthy

nations taxes to cover the poor decisions of others? In many views of the physicians, no. This is

due to the fact that under universal healthcare their salaries will be monopolized by the

government and the coverage of their patients will be decided by one association. Universal

Healthcare also limits the physician’s ability to make a good decision regarding the health of

their patients.

However, this does not mean that universal healthcare does not have advantages. While

opposed with many examples of ineffectiveness, there are some benefits. Some of these include

the elimination of administrative costs of dealing with private insurers, and a healthier workforce

due to the fact that “46% of emergency room patients went because they had no other place to

go” (Amadeo 1).

In spite of the countless views on universal healthcare, there has not been an

accommodating solution. One possible answer to this question is to simply allow those who want

it to be eligible while those who don't want to be covered, remain under their private insurance

company. Another possible solution is to have universal healthcare only be applicable for

specific groups. Some of these groups can include the homeless, elderly, or disabled. These

groups would be included because they are either not able to get a job or don’t have a job. These

are some of the ways many controversial opinions can agree on a compromise that benefits

everyone involved.

In hindsight it is clear that the implication of universal healthcare, even with the

advantages listed, would over all not improve America's healthcare system. For three main
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reasons, ​universal healthcare is extremely expensive, it will cause taxes to dramatically increase,

and it doesn’t necessarily benefit physicians.

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Works Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. “Why America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health Care.”

The Balance​, The Balance, 3 May 2019,

www.thebalance.com/universal-health-care-4156211.

Farrell, Keith, et al. "Attempts to Implement Universal Health Care (20th Century)." ​American

Government​, ABC-CLIO, 2019,

americangovernment.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1588560. Accessed 10 May 2019.

Kirsch, Richard. “Here Is an American Solution to Universal Health Care.” ​TheHill​, 11 Jan.

2018,

thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/368536-here-is-an-american-solution-to-universal-health-

care.

“Universal Health Care, Worldwide, Is within Reach.” ​The Economist​, The Economist

Newspaper, 26 Apr. 2018,

www.economist.com/leaders/2018/04/26/universal-health-care-worldwide-is-within-reac

h.