Healthcare Should Be a Birthright of Every American - Admission/Application Essay Example

Healthcare Should Be a Birthright of Every American I. Introduction The of our health care system can be highly politicized and partisan issue of debate, however virtually all Americans agree that improvements can and should be made. The goal of a universal health care plan is to ensure that all citizens would have access to most types of health care regardless of their financial or health status. Providing treatment and medication to everyone definitely sounds appealing to many people throughout the country, especially to the people who feel the cost of health care the most. Some people argue that health care is not a right, and the government is not required to provide it to everyone. Other opponents say that universal health care plans would result in longer wait times, a decrease in the quality of care, and inefficient government bureaucracy. Supporters of universal health care claim that one, health care is a basic human right, the government should strive to provide for us. Second, the current system is causing a widening of the chasm between rich and poor which causes additional health problems and, third, our current health care system is wasting money. II. Health Care Is a Basic Human Right, for Others The majority of Americans concurs with the majority of the world’s population in that a society has the responsibility to care for its sick and injured without regardless of their financial status. “Nearly seven in ten respondents go so far as indicating they would be willing to pay more in federal taxes to assure that every American citizen has health care coverage” (“Who should pay” 2004). That more than 47 million Americans do not have health insurance is widely acknowledged but those who are insured often cannot afford the medical care they require. Universal heal care will eliminate the financial burden to the elderly, poor and middle class families. Opponents to the plan make the argument that people are not entitled to health care. This view is in the vast minority compared to the rest of the world and the U.S. as well yet reflects the reality in the country. “The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee access to health care as a right of citizenship” (Battista, McCabe, 1999). Many times we hear the phrase, ‘America is number one!’ but of course this applies to economic and military prowess only and certainly does not include other areas, the quality and affordability of health care in particular. “The United States, which has the most expensive health system in the world, underperforms consistently relative to other countries and differs most notably in the fact that Americans have no universal health insurance coverage” (Presse, 2007). The U.S. is unquestionably not number one with regards to health care delivery. The infant mortality rate in America ranks 23rd worldwide, 20th in life expectancy and trails Botswana, coming in at 67th with regard to child immunizations and this is just a partial list. Overall, the U.S. and the very poor third-world country of Cuba are neck-and-neck in providing health care to its citizens. “The United States ranks poorly relative to other industrialized nations in health care despite having the best trained health care providers and the best medical infrastructure of any industrialized nation” (Battista, McCabe, 1999). III. Widening the Health/Class Chasm Children raised in a higher social location are, to no one’s surprise, healthier as adults than those raised in indigent conditions. An individual’s social position at every phase of life influences health later in life. “Being born with economic advantages is likely to lead to educational success, which is linked to occupational advantage and later financial security. Social stratification early in the life course affects the trajectory an individual is likely to follow” (Blane, 1999). The significance of social class during the course of a lifetime has been proven to be a future predictor of health by numerous studies conducted of many world societies over many years. A 24 year-long study conducted by the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience concurs with these findings. “When individuals were categorized according to the number of points in their life when they were living with a father who held a manual labor job or they themselves held a manual job, those who never engaged in manual labor had better health than those who did” (Blane, 1999). The Japanese have universal health care and the life expectancy, the highest in the world, is better than 81 years (Bhattacharya, 2004). Social status, which is not automatically dependent upon financial status, determines the level of happiness and self-worth which translates into improved health outcomes. “Hierarchies are inevitable but how hierarchies are translated to differences in health is the crucial question. Social arrangements, education and social cohesion may be crucial factors” (Marmot, 1991). The Japanese society puts much emphasis on social arrangements and education and is universally acknowledged as cohesive when compared to all others. This cohesiveness is possible because in this society, counter to the U.S. there exists less of a perceived gap in the social hierarchy. IV. Current Health Care System Is Wasting Money The U.S. spends more money, per capita, than all other nations that provide universal coverage, a startling 40 percent more than any of these countries. According to studies by both the Federal Budget and General Accounting Office, the U.S. would save between $100 and $200 billion every year if universal health care was implemented. (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In September of 2006, in a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, it was shown Americans paid an average of $11,500 for family health care benefits through their employer (Leonhardt, 2006). This is a 7.7 percent rise from the previous year. Benefit cost have doubled since 1999 but wages and corporation revenues, which heavily subsidize insurance, have risen only fractionally. The term spiraling and healthcare costs have become conjoined in common language usage and this is creating an economic crisis for both employers and employees. According to David Leonhardt (2006), the average person spent just under $100 a year for health care benefits or the equivalent of $500 in today’s dollars in 1950. In 2005, the average person spent close to $6,000. “In a new Christian Science Monitor/TIPP poll, 54 percent of respondents reported that their healthcare costs had increased in the past year, hurting family finances” (Sappenfield, 2002). If health insurance costs continue the present trend of increasing 100 percent every seven years, the costs will soon be prohibitive for employers and their employees alike. Spending money on consumer goods stimulates the economy and it is viewed as a patriotic in an abstract sense. Taking on a mortgage on a house is an investment but healthcare is considered simply a cost. If it rises to the point where very few can afford it, the lives of the majority will be cut short. (Leonhardt, 2006). V. Counterargument Those opposed to universal health care such as insurance and pharmaceutical companies have characterized this system as ‘socialized medicine.’ This moniker elicits fears of communist ideals, the ‘red menace’ creeping into American society. Universal health care, however, cannot be accurately describes as socialized medicine. “It is health care payment system, health care providers would be in fee for service practice, and would not be employees of the government, which would be socialized medicine” (Battista, McCabe, 1999). If the single-payer system can be categorized as socialism then other worthwhile endeavors such as the military can be as well. Few, if any, are opposed to socialized police, fire and ambulance services or would want to privatize the public school system. Americans of all political leanings are willing to finance these important services yet some, those influenced by the fear-mongering of insurance and pharmaceutical lobbying efforts, would deny health care delivered by the same method. Meeting the health needs of people is as or more important than the other services currently supplied in a socialistic means. (“Universal” 2005). In a universal, or single-payer, health care system, the government accumulates tax monies from individuals and businesses to finance health care facilities that are freely open to everyone. Implementing such a system would mean an end to Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s) and insurance companies that provide health insurance, a fact few are heartbroken about. Universal health care is not simply a humanitarian concern which alone would be reason enough to rally support for it but continuing with the present system will push many more families to the brink of financial ruin as well. VI. Conclusion Currently, the U.S. is the only industrialized, ‘civilized’ country that allows its citizens to be refused health care due to their inability to pay. This embarrassing circumstance would be eliminated by implementing universal health care and the government would save hundreds of billions every year. Other than insurance and pharmaceutical companies, all would benefit. Americans are needlessly suffering and dying while vast amounts of money is being wasted, all for no reason other than the stubbornness of the leaders of the country to address the problem. It’s not because universal health care does not make sense economically or politically. Americans should be appalled and ashamed at the system and themselves for being so blindly manipulated. Works Cited Battista, John R., M.D. McCabe, Justine, Ph.D. “Talk Given To The Association of State Green Parties” (June 4, 1999). April 26, 2009 Bhattacharya, Shaoni “Higher status leads to a longer life.” New Scientist. (June 8, 2004). April 26, 2009 Blane, D. “The Life Course, the Social Gradients and Health.” Social Determinants of Health. M. Marmot and R. G. Wilkinson (Eds.). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, (1999): 64–80. Leonhardt, David. “The Choice: A Longer Life or More Stuff.” New York Times. (September 27, 2006). April 26, 2009 Marmot MG, Shipley MJ, Rose G. “Inequalities in death—specific explanations of a general pattern?” Lancet. Vol. 1, (1984):1003-6. [PMID: 6143919]. Presse, Agence France. “U.S. Health System Ranks Last Compared to Other Countries” (May 15, 2007). April 26, 2009 Sappenfield, Mark. “More states flirt with universal healthcare” The Christian Science Monitor (December 16, 2002). April 26, 2009 “Universal Health Care” QuickOverview.com. (2005). April 26, 2009 “Who Should Pay for Health Care?” PBS.org (2004). April 26, 2009 Read More