The U. S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country, but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance” (World Health Organization report). So why does America fail to provide the same quality of healthcare feasible to other developed countries? The governments’ priority on protecting our country from threats overseas must outweigh the immediate well-being of its own citizens. Of course the government is aiming to prevent other countries from harming our own, but when we find that the reason we went to war, is the not the reason were still in it, why are we still there? Rather than striving to fix other country’s problems, the focus should remain on the betterment of one’s own country, especially when it faces many problems of its own.
Eighteen Thousand Americans die every year without the means to afford health insurance, or being denied service due to their insurance company not covering the procedure required to save their life. This is a startling number in the country that claims to be the best. So the question is, should our healthcare be privately operated or controlled by the government through our taxes? When our ideals as a nation are guided by everyone’s right to pursue happiness, affordable healthcare is essential in order to preserve this right. Hillary Clinton sought to bring this to America during her husband’s campaign, but upon being shut up and subsequently being funded by the companies for her current campaign; she will surely not bring the change needed to give American’s coverage.
As a university student, undecided upon a major, the medical benefits that come with a profession will be a big influence on the job I will seek. With the costs of health care expected to rise dramatically in the next ten years, you can’t ignore this issue. The rich will be reluctant to change as this may cause them to lose more money, but they will remain rich in comparison to the poor. By putting a price on an operation, were subjecting a human to be of monetary value. Kind of like slavery… If the way our health care system doesn’t change its course, more and more people won’t be able to afford it in the coming years, which in affect will mean that America, the richest country in the world, is killing its citizens for money. So why does America still have this system? What would it take to change it? And what negative outcomes might take place if America had universal healthcare? Does anyone know…
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2 comments:
This is a mature post Nathan. I can see that you are concerned a great deal about this country and the citizens within it. However I don’t think having a national health care system is a good idea. First off it is unconstitutional. The government cannot give a citizen the right to a produced good or service such as health care. If that’s the case the government might as well say that you have the right to a car or a job. We can get into the ethical debate about this later but know that health care is a socialist policy. I agree with you that the first priority of the government is to protect its people and not to fight an unconstitutional war in a country that poses no direct threat to our national defense. But I don’t agree on method. I think the job for the government is to intervene as little as possible not regulate everything as if to act like our parent. The founding fathers wanted a small limited government. A report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) finds that about 50 million Americans are uninsured at a specific point in time during the year. If the figure of 18,000 Americans that die every year from being uninsured is correct, then that comes out to .036% of those uninsured that actually die because of being uninsured. That is actually a pretty good number because it means that the private markets are not failing us in supplying vital health care coverage. In theory we don’t want the government to run a national health care system because it creates a government monopoly. For example if costs of health care go up the government has less incentive to negotiate lower prices than you do because they can always raise taxes to pay for it. The supply and demand dynamics that keep prices low is altered which always means two things long lines and/or higher prices. One more thing I wanted to point out Nathan is that before the government can give you healthcare before it can provide you with anything it must take it away from you first i.e. through taxes. Instead of paying 15% income tax today and using the rest in however you see fit the government will raise income taxes to somewhere near 35-40%. If costs go up and the government cannot keep them down then guess what your taxes go up and you can’t do a thing about it because it’s illegal not to pay your taxes. Nonetheless good thinking Nathan, I see your heart is in the right place.
I think your post is very good, especially because there are so many debates going on concernignt he ehalth care in our country today. I agree with you that our countries number one priority should be in perfecting our country and making sure all the US citizens are getting the fair treatment that our country was founded on. Instead of fighting a war for the benefit of another country, we should be focused on the safety and well being of our own people. The issue of health care needs to be fixed before it is too late. I fear what dark hole we are entering with this issue and what challenges I will face when I am 70 years old. The amount of money that we pay toward medical bills, medications, doctor visits, cancer treatments, surgeries, and basic medical needs to survive is outrageous. I once met a girl from Canada whos mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Due to their health care system in Canada it only cost her family $20 out of their own pocket to provide her mother with the care she needed to fight her deadly disease. In the United States, people are faced with like and death decisions due to the health care issue. Far to many people diagnosed with cancer opt out of the expensive treatments because they do not have the money. People also fear leaving their loved ones with thousands and thousands of dollars in medical bills after they pass. I don't think anyones life should be determined by money. Our country should take care of us, and if that means taking more taxes in order to provide us with the health care we need and keep us healthy than so be it. I disagree with silverlight on the negatice impact of higher taxes for better health care. It i s better to live knowing that you are not making as much income because our country is preparing for your care when you care old and sick, than worrying about how you will pay for yours or your families midical bills in a time of crisis.
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