I will be speaking to you all on the issues concerning a single-payer healthcare system. Okay, so raise your hand if you like free things. Let’s be honest—who doesn’t like free things? There was a study conducted where Americans were given a choice between a free item and a priced item. I was not surprised when I found out that ninety percent of Americans chose the free item. However, what if I told you that you would have to work longer and pay more money, so you could have the “free” item? Notice the number of hands that have gone down. That is what a single-payer healthcare system would be like in America.
A study was done in Sweden—a first-world country—on their healthcare system. The study proved that a universal health system is not the answer to the problems faced by Americans. It also showed that since the healthcare system is owned by the government, the system is weighed down with waiting lists. According to Warner Todd Huston,” Those waiting lists increase patients’ anxiety, pain, and risk of death.” If healthcare was free, it would allow our government to tax the rich and ration out the availability of healthcare. Subsequently, this would bring down the overall quality of healthcare. Furthermore, an important question to ask yourself is: why is healthcare important to me? Healthcare is important to me because it is vital to living. No one is immune from disease, nor are they secure from injury.
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When I was a young child—around eight years old—I used to love to climb and swing on objects. I was also very clumsy; as a result, my mom would always call me a hypochondriac because I was always injuring something. One day I got the bright idea of swinging in between two desks after school. While I was swinging between the desks, I slipped and fell. This only resulted in a trip to the hospital and four stitches. While it was well over one thousand dollars, I received quick quality care. I probably would not have received this kind of care with a universal healthcare system. I am not here to bash any of you for your opinions but rather to show you why a universal health system would do more harm than good for our economy.
A universal healthcare system would allow every United States citizen to access healthcare free of charge. While I do not agree with this concept, some people suggest that a single-payer health system is not completely bad. They even propose that it has many advantages. One advantage of the universal health system is that it could save lives, and I agree this would be beneficial; however, it would also increase the wait time for medical services. This concept was proven in the study of Sweden’s health system. According to Warner Todd Huston,” For all Swedes who needed an operation in 2003, slightly more than half waited more than three months. The situation continues. Moreover, patients often wait in great pain and distress.”These patients spent over three months in extended pain and high anxiety because there were not enough medical services to fit the population in Sweden. Furthermore, this strengthens the idea that healthcare should be an exclusive right. Ken Perez argued,” By requiring no deductibles, copayments, or cost-sharing requirements, Sanders’ single-payer plan could result in greater demand for medical services than projected by Sanders and even Thorpe and the Urban Institute.” The outlook for doctors is steadily decreasing in the United States which is why the wait time would increase for medical services.
Moreover, some people observe that with a single-payer system, medical bankruptcies would decrease and encourage entrepreneurship. In another study done on Canada’s healthcare system, researchers found that the funding was completely reliant on current taxpayers. These hardworking citizens must fund the disproportionally large health needs of the elderly. It was also found that Canada ranks among the most indebted sub-sovereign borrowers in the world. According to Candice Malcolm,” In Canada’s single-payer system, citizens cannot pay directly for procedures, and they cannot purchase private insurance to cover services provided by the CHA. They must instead wait in line or seek health-care services outside the country. I do not agree with the idea of rationing out healthcare. What if it is a life-or-death situation? Then the patient’s family, along with the government, is left with the guilt of their loved one. Malcolm goes on to state,” The report showed that 29 percent of adult Canadians who fell ill and needed to see a specialist waited two months or longer, and 18 percent waited four months or longer, compared with 6 percent and 7 percent of Americans, respectively.” These patients suffered two months or more just to receive average health services. If America switched to this system, the wait times would double to accommodate our increasing population.
Lastly, some people advocate that single-payer healthcare would improve the overall health of the country. In my opinion, this concept would only lead to socialism, rapid inflation, and completely lessen the quality of healthcare. Moreover, the foundation of America was built on three strong principles: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; however, no statement in the constitution that sanctions America to free healthcare. America is a society built on democratic principles. It would be leaning toward a socialistic culture if America switched to a universal healthcare system. According to ProCon.org,” Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself and one's family, including... medical care.' This statement was recognized by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights; as a result, some people advocate that this allows room for a universal health system. However, as a democracy, many people still hold that the free market should be able to decide the price and opportunity to access healthcare. Former President Ronald Reagan proclaimed,” One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine...and once socialized medicine is instituted, 'behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom” (ProCon). It would be almost tyrannical to tell the citizens of America to pay for everyone’s healthcare. The government would tax the big corporations that would raise the prices of goods causing rapid inflation. This would be a repeat of 1923 Germany.
The United States spends an average of $10,209 per person which is 2.5 times the average spent by single-payer health system countries. According to Ken Perez,” Citing the lower per-capita costs of health care in other industrialized countries that have single-payer systems, Sanders contends that national health expenditures (NHE), which are projected to total $3.5 trillion in 2017, would amount to $6 trillion less over 10 years under his plan compared with the current system. c Currently, the federal government pays for slightly less than one-third of NHE, about $1.1 trillion, funding Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, health insurance subsidies and related spending, and veterans’ medical care. d, under a single-payer system, the federal government’s expenditures for health care would increase significantly.” A single-payer health system would increase debt and it would decrease the quality of service. It’s a complete loss in all aspects; as a result, a universal health system would not work in the United States. While healthcare would be free, it would not be the same quality; therefore, I do not support the idea of a universal health system in America. It is not economically feasible.
This healthcare crisis will not defeat America. There are ways that you can help fix the broken system. The only logical thing to do is to create more jobs. If there are more jobs, more people can make money to buy health insurance. 3.6% of America is unemployed. While this is a peak low, I still encourage you to start a new business. Open that bakery. All these scenarios create more jobs that allow people to earn money to buy health insurance. With this solution, there would be no increased debt, no increased waitlists, and no doubled tax rates. When the foundation of America is united, a healthcare crisis will not divide us.
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