Should the United States Government Supply Healthcare to All Citizens - Essay Example

Outline Should the United s’ government supply healthcare to all citizens and their families Thesis: In order to guarantee that the government does not enlarge its budget deficit by treating preventable diseases as well as maintain the productivity of its citizens, it is necessary that the United States Federal government provide health care to citizens who cannot afford their own. Introduction Arguments for the US government’s provision of healthcare to all citizens and their families comparison between: Obama healthcare reform healthcare reform in socialist European countries Their medical programs cater for every citizen, not just the seniors the need to pattern American health care reform after that employed by other developed nations statistics from the Institute of Medicine: close to 18,000 Americans die every year, since they lack access to the basic medical treatment that would otherwise save their lives among those who have access to healthcare approximately 200,000 lose their lives owing to preventable medical errors preventable hospital infections statistics in the Medicaid report death rates people with an income of 30,000 dollars people who earn a salary of less than 10,000 dollars three times more severity of lack of a proper healthcare to American citizens seventy times more dangerous each year compared to the September 11 attacks comparison between the US other wealthy nations around the world provide accessible health care to their citizens at a more affordable rate Have health care models Bismarck model used in Germany, Japan and Switzerland Beveridge model used in Britain The National single payer model used in Taiwan, France and Canada. healthcare is an individual responsibility Increased accountability An effective healthcare system US government’s expenditure spends twice as much in military endeavors than it does on healthcare cardiovascular conditions, cancer and chronic pulmonary diseases kill more Americans each year than the sum of all those who have died in America’s military history government should inject more funds into research for the improvement of pubic health due to lack of political will in the US the quest for healthcare reform has always failed powerful lobby groups have derailed the legislation of universal healthcare Arguments against the US government’s provision of healthcare to all citizens and their families government-funded healthcare system has failed for instance, in Canada, where medical services suffer long delays solutions make insurance less expensive make healthcare more mobile create new opportunities for healthcare provision to the elderly set up a market that will bolster innovation in drugs and medical technology through deregulation and increased dependence on market changes, the answer lies in capitalism that universal healthcare would be absolutely free or cheaper than the private healthcare is a myth citizens would have to provide money for paying doctors and buying medicines increased taxes a rush to benefit from free health services increased demand thus exceeding the supply government would limit the available health services to lower costs through rationing or add the amount paid for health services increased taxes government-controlled salaries for healthcare providers a reduction in the number of healthcare providers congestion in the emergency rooms the sick forced to wait in ambulances for long dispatch of ambulances to other emergencies prevented The healthcare reform bill will provide healthcare coverage to more than thirty-two million Americans will require insurance companies to provide coverage irrespective of pre-existing conditions will help reduce the budget deficit through an increase in taxes Conclusion analytical summary thesis reworded concluding statement Introduction There has been an ongoing national debate as to whether the federal government should provide healthcare to poor citizens. There are many opinions on whether this should take place with some people promoting and others opposing such a move. This essay will examine arguments in favor of a universal healthcare system and those against it. The health of citizens in any given country is vital to the growth and development of that country. In order to guarantee that the government does not enlarge its budget deficit by treating preventable diseases as well as maintain the productivity of its citizens, it is necessary that the United States Federal government provide health care to citizens who cannot afford their own. Lange writes that the portrayal of Obama healthcare reform as a foray into socialism is ironical at best since programs such as Medicare and Medicaid consume eight percent of the national budget, which is the same amount in socialist European countries. The only difference is that their medical programs cater for every citizen, not just the seniors. He quotes Reid who points out in his book ‘The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care’ on the need to pattern American health care reform after that employed by other developed nations. Reid states that close to 18,000 Americans die every year, since they lack access to the basic medical treatment that would otherwise save their lives, based on statistics from the Institute of Medicine. Despite some people having access to healthcare, approximately 200,000 lose their lives owing to preventable medical errors as well as preventable hospital infections. Proquest.umi.com cites the Medicaid report stating that the death of people who earn a salary of less than 10,000 dollars is three times more than that of people with an income of 30,000 dollars. Overall, lack of a proper healthcare is seventy times more dangerous to American citizens each year compared to the September 11 attacks. Reid further points out the fact that other wealthy nations around the world have been able to provide accessible health care to their citizens at a more affordable rate than the US. He explains a set of health care models that exist in these nations. These models include the Bismarck used in Germany, Japan and Switzerland, the Beveridge used in Britain, and the national single payer model in Taiwan, France and Canada. The Bismarck model comprises private insurers and providers who although financed through payroll deductions, are both universal and portable. It thus represents a kind of employer-sponsored medical care. The Beveridge model is the equivalent of the American Veterans Affairs program. The national single-payer health plans obtain funds from the government in the form of taxes, which is the equivalent of the Medicare program in America that takes care of 36 million seniors. Reid states that individuals in these countries have embraced healthcare as an individual responsibility, hence exercising some form of peer pressure over individuals in society whom they feel are adding to the tax burden. This increased accountability has led to an effective healthcare system. The outcomes are extraordinary despite the fact that they spend less money on healthcare (Lange, para2). Proquest.umi.com challenges the notion that the American Federal government cannot manage to provide healthcare for all its citizens. The article counters this argument asserting that the government spends twice as much in military endeavors than it does on healthcare. If nations such as Spain, Costa Rica and Finland can afford to, it states that America is equal to the task. Diseases like cardiovascular conditions, cancer and chronic pulmonary diseases kill more Americans each year than the sum of all those who have died in America’s military history. Congress always supports the bills for the purchase of new and improved weapons and at times provides more money than requested. However, regarding healthcare, finances are usually insufficient and instead, nationwide appeals for donations to fund healthcare research get underway. The improvement of pubic health needs the injection of more funds into research. Harris echoes a similar concern that it is purely due to lack of political will that the federal government fails to provide universal health care for all. From Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 to Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, the quest for healthcare reform has always failed. He asserts that the US is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not have a universal healthcare system, despite spending approximately 16% of GNP on healthcare, a proportion that is larger than countries like France, Germany and Switzerland, which appropriate 11% to 12% for healthcare in the national budget. The US therefore spends twice per capita expenditure than these developed economies and hence, it is not a case of lack of finances. In total, five attempts to legislate universal healthcare have taken place but powerful lobby groups have derailed such endeavors. Such groups have hindered reform efforts at a health care system whose beneficiaries are mainly trial lawyers, pharmaceutical companies and health insurance companies. Healthcare lobbies that comprise health insurance companies and drug companies present a powerful force against healthcare reform. This is because these companies stand to lose billions of dollars worth of profit if the healthcare reform bill passes. Harris states that currently, approximately 46 million Americans lack insurance. Other scholars disagree however on universal healthcare provision that even considers the poor in society. Firstly, Richardson argues that statistics stating that 46,000,000 Americans lack insurance and that 18,000 deaths occur due to lack of medical care are political untruths. He suggests that the solution is to make insurance less expensive. He asserts that a government-funded system is not the answer to healthcare upgrading as proven by the failure of such a system in Canada where medical services suffer long delays. To him, an effective policy would be to make healthcare more mobile, create new opportunities for healthcare provision to the elderly and set up a market that will bolster innovation in drugs and medical technology. He asserts that through deregulation and increased dependence on market changes, the answer lies in capitalism, not on a socialist kind of government intervention. Secondly, it is a myth that universal healthcare would be absolutely free or cheaper than the private healthcare. This is because money for paying doctors and buying medicines would have to come from the citizens. This money would be indirect through increased taxes. Moreover, owing to a public perception of a free product, the demand would rise through a rush to benefit from free health services. This demand would exceed the supply of the free health services making the government to limit the available health services to lower costs through rationing or adding the amount paid for health services. Another barrier would be a reduction in the number of healthcare providers. Doctors, for example, might immigrate to countries where the government does not control their salary. Setbacks of such a healthcare plan are also evident in England. Owing to congestion in the emergency rooms, the sick have had to wait in ambulances for almost five hours, thus preventing the dispatch of the ambulance to other emergencies (English, para5). Grady states that the passage of the healthcare reform bill was a major win for democrats. The failure of the Bush government had helped democrats win a majority of seats in the legislative government, the presidency, the House of Representatives, and the Senate. This majority enabled the democrats to avoid employing the filibuster tactic that helps warring parties reach a compromise. Despite the election of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts after the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, the democrats’ 60-vote senate majority sailed through. Another major boost to the bill was the change in approach by president Obama who chose a different path instead of trying to secure the passage of a bipartisan bill. The bill will serve to provide coverage to more than thirty-two million Americans without health coverage and will further require insurance companies to provide coverage irrespective of preexisting conditions. The bill will also not incur any more expenditure but will rather help to reduce the budget deficit through an increase in taxes. The landmark passage provides an advantage to Obama’s political future both locally and internationally. Conclusion The government has a duty of taking care of the health of its citizens. Health is an integral part of life in every human being and it greatly charts out the development of a given country. Although the provision of free healthcare at first seems costly, the lasting effects in the form of healthier workers and low infant mortality rates will eventually be the countrys economic strength. Billions of taxpayer dollars spent in curing diseases will fall significantly through emphasizing on preventive health care even among the poor. The Federal government needs to borrow a lesson from other developed economies, which have managed to cater for the health of all their citizens at an even lower amount of the GNP. Works Cited English, J. (2010). Obamacare: Politicians Put Us On The Line. Retrieved 4th July 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2092233791&sid=17&Fmt=3&clientId=3236&RQT=309&VName=PQD Grady, K. (2010). Obama Back From The Brink. Retrieved 4th July 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1768036531&sid=24&Fmt=3&clientId=3236&RQT=309&VName=PQD Harris P. (2009). Can The New President Finally Give The US A Universal Healthcare System? Retrieved 4th July 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1768036531&sid=24&Fmt=3&clientId=3236&RQT=309&VName=PQD Lange, M. (2009). What Can America Learn From Switzerland And France About Healthcare Reform? Retrieved 4th July 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1719184541&sid=15&Fmt=3&clientId=3236&RQT=309&VName=PQD Proquest.umi.com, (2009). Medicaid Health Plans Provide Cost Savings To States And High Quality And Value To Beneficiaries, New Analysis Shows. Retrieved 4th July 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1719184541&sid=15&Fmt=3&clientId=3236&RQT=309&VName=PQD Richardson, J. (2010). On Health Care. Retrieved 4th July 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1992527261&sid=22&Fmt=3&clientId=3236&RQT=309&VName=PQD Read More