Should the government provide health care for its Citizens?

Question

Im a debater what are your oppions on this!

Answer 1

Yes,if they can't provide the actual coverage they need to prevent price gouging by insurance companies and force them to provide coverage for all,not just the healthy and young. Many people are uninsured or underinsured because a preexisting condition prevents them from being able to purchase coverage at any price.

Answer 2

Yes. Any country is only as strong(healthy) as it's weakest members. If 25% of the population cannot afford healthcare(I am only throwing out that number) then what kind of government would stand by idlly and let a quarter of their citizens down. Check out the historyof health care in Canada, Tommy Douglas proposed a universal healthcare system , and he was the leader of a Party that has never led the country. Great ideas can come from someone not in power and 50 years later, healthcare or cuts to it, usually result in election losses and is as much a part of the political landscape here as the military is in the U.S.

Answer 3

1. The US Constitution does not allow for the government to provide health care. It is not mentioned and therefore not allowed.
2. Look at countries that have national health care. It stinks. Costs too much. Does not work. It will cost 10 times more than it has to.

The US is a free market society. Do it through the private sector. When there is competition, prices go down.

Answer 4

Sure, if you want terrible health care. Socialized health care doesn't work. It sounds great in theory. But just look at the military for your answer. We have what is basically socialized health care and the care we receive is terrible. The doctor's know we don't have a choice about who we see. They know that can't get fired. I have so many terrifying stories of military medical care. The one that stands out is a girl in her twenties who went to the ER complaining of chest pain. They ran no tests and sent her home. They told her it was in her head. She had a heart attack and died that very night. I knew this person. Do you think any of those doc's were faced with anything more than a reprimand? Is that the kind of care we want across the board?

Answer 5

okay...so first of all everyone in this forum needs to remember what the question is asking...its should the government provide health care...Not health insurance and i think people are getting confused on that point...and the answer to that question is difficult to answer b/c there are so many arguments for either side.

if we were to answer yes that the gov should provide health care then we must take several things into consideration. where is the money going to come from to fund this program...an obvious answer is taxes, however, governments like the united states whom are spending those tax dollars elsewhere and it is naive to think that they would give up spending those dollars on, say, the war in iraq to fund a program from which they stand to gain very little...its is also naive to assume that the people would be willing to put in more tax dollars to fund a program in which there is a good chance that the services provided by government hired doctors would not be as good as the serivces you would get by receiving private health care

Answer 6

I think so... health care is a basic need like education... it shouldn't be limited to just the wealthy, which it almost is now...

the number of uninsured is growing along with the cost of insurance... it's pricing its self out of practicality, but you have to have it...

medicine is more about money today than saving lives... more about profit and stock prices than keeping you healthy... that's a major sign something is wrong in my book...

you can't put a price on "life" so they can basically charge as much as they want, and what are you going to do? not pay and die? it's ridiculous... good health is not a commodity that works in a capitalistic system... you have to have it, or nothing else matters..

EDIT:... if quality is so bad in socialized health care... then why are the best rated medical systems in the world socialized?
according to the World Health Organization, the U.S. ranks 37th in healthcare!!!!

http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html (you can also check out the report from a link on the site)

EDIT2: As expensive as health insurance is... does anyone think that the government couldn't provide it at the same cost that we are paying in insurance? It's insane and I never get sick... and is anyone naive enough to think that there is actual competition? Insurance pretty much takes that out of the equation too... you don't care where you go if you're insured? None of the capitalist ideas apply to modern healthcare...

Answer 7

I would so be out of a job if they did, but I think it is a hell of an idea. A public education system that pays for your education, good money to keep the good teachers. And I am assured a good salary upon completion. Sure, a lot of it goes to taxes for the education, since it is also free, but what a great idea. So, I guess my answer is that, I think the government should force us all to pay for it, higher taxes I would be willing for, if I didn't have to worry about educational, health ins and so on bills like this on a mthly basis. Good deal to me.

Answer 8

No! I find it odd that the same people that whine about not having health care are the same people that have 2 cars, big screen, cell phones, vacations, go out to dinner regularly, an so on. Paying for medical insurance is no different than paying for auto and life insurance.

Or should the government also pay for those things. And how dare the rich go on nicer vacations, drive nicer cars and have bigger houses. The government should subsidize me so I can have those things also. I shouldn't have to work hard to obtain these things. I shouldn't have to go to work for an employer that offer better benefits. Dammit, I shouldn't have to work at all.

Answer 9

We should only help those who can't help themselves. If we can help people get healthcare who would otherwise have no way, then it would probably be better for us all to have a healthy society. But we do not need to have universal benefits for those who could afford to pay or have some kind of insurance. Remember, the profit motive and free enterprise is what has led to all the advances and breakthroughs in the first place. If it weren't for the investment of massive profits, there wouldn't be this great healthcare to give to anyone.

Answer 10

My opinion is no. What it would cost us to build and manage yet another failed government provided service, we would be able to buy our own health insurance. This would allow us to keep the quality care we have. The VA is a perfect example of a government run facility. No thank you!