Should a just government provide healthcare to its citizens?

Question

This is for debate.. I would really appreciate it if you could give thoughtful answers with reasons for your opinions, but if you don't have time a simple yes or no will suffice. Thanks.

Answer 1

It's a good idea in theory, but not in practice. Consider the Canadian health care system. For starters, your health care is not covered outside your province, so if you leave the country or just hop over to the next province there's no guarantee that you won't have to pay for doctor visits, trips to the ER, etc. Secondly, the wait time leaves something to be desired. Windsor Memorial Hospital has an MRI unit that runs 24/7, and the current wait time to get an MRI if you need one is eight weeks -- and you might have to come in on Sunday at 3:00 a.m. Finally, there's the problem of getting what you need. My aunt just turned 50 and asked her doctor to give her a referral for a colonoscopy. He said he couldn't do it because only patients that are showing symptoms of colo-rectal cancer can get a colonoscopy (they obviously haven't figured out that by the time you're showing symptoms it's too late 95% of the time).

The problems with a national health care system in the U.S. are numerous. For starters, our taxes would have to triple in order to cover the cost. How is that fair to people who generally take care of themselves, as opposed to people who smoke, drink too much, or are overweight (these three groups of people cost the health care industry multiple billions of dollars every year). Next, you're involving the Federal Government, and as we all know Club Fed is notorious for miring even the simplest things in a mountain of red tape. Finally, if the Feds did step in and establish a national health care system, we're stuck with it. And chances are it would be ten times worse than the current health care system we have.

See, the root of the problem is when private citizens take a problem or issue, hand it over to the Federal Government, and say "Here, fix this." When we do that, we're willingly handing over a little piece of our freedom. We're giving the Federal Government just a little more power to exercise over John Q. Public. It's a VERY BAD habit to get into because eventually the power of the government exceeds the freedom of the private citizen, and at that point it's only a matter of time before personal liberty disappears altogether.

Answer 2

No.
There are a great many reasons, but I don't have time to go into all of them. I'll try to hit some of the big ones.

1. Monopolies are always bad. You don't want only 1 store to buy food from, why have only 1 place to get healthcare from?

2. Do you really want some nameless, facesless, beautrocrat deciding who lives and dies?

3. If you live well, eat right, and exercise, why should the government use your money to pay for somebody that smokes 3 packs a day, never exercises, and lives on soda and twinkies? This is literally taking food out of the mouths of your family to pay for somebody elses bad choices. Who thinks that's a good idea?

Freedom, or government, they are mutually exclusive. Do you believe in freedom or not?

Answer 3

The government does provide health care when it is necessary to sustain life. No hospital is allowed to turn you away in an emergency because you do not have insurance. That is all that we should do.

Everything the government touches, it screws up. Look at Social Security vs. private retirement accounts. If you have your own account, you manage it, you know it will be there for you, and anything that is left can be given to your heirs. Social Security keeps upping the retirement age hoping that you will die before collecting even a small percentage of what you have contributed. If you die before collecting a dime, the government gets to keep it - your children get nothing.

If they can't handle simple finances, what makes you think that they can handle your health?

Answer 4

I believe that any civilized people should provide food, shelter, education and medical care for all of it's people. We're about the only so called developed nation that does not, and we have about the worst medical system of all the first world countries. I just read a report that graded health care of countries around the world and I think we came in 16th and were given a D for our quality of health care. The reason we don't provide medical care for our people is that like everything else in this country medicine is done for profit. Medicine is not a luxury any more than food housing and education which by the way we don't really provide for our people either, they are just more ways of making profit. Profit is the real god in this country.

Answer 5

No, it should not. Healthcare for reasons other than basic lifesaving, is an expensive LUXURY item.

It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure they are healthy, not the government.

In addition, it's important to remember that you pay for healthcare. You can either buy your insurance directly, or you can pay the government to buy it for you. Do you want to pay for the extra level of beauracracy that government supplied health care would require?

You thought an HMO was bad, imagine that HMO being run by the same dullards that work at the department of motor vehicles..

Answer 6

I live in Canada, therefore medicare is provided and covers majority of our costs (except cosmetic surgery among a few things). I see no reason why all other countries do not provide that for their citizens as well, especially those countries that brag of their affluency. There's no excuse for a countries population to be sickened by anything, and no excuse for a countries "poor" to have to try to afford healthcare when it should automatically be readily available for all the people.

Answer 7

Yes I am a proponent of socialized medicine. our health care system is a disaster. we have the best health care in the world, if YOU can pay for it. to me that's wrong. look at the money this government spends on stupid stuff? Costs are out of control. its just a mess. and our health statistics should be the best in the world but they are not. countries with socialized medicine with a emphasis on preventative care have the best statistics. just think how much money would be saved it people had preventative care instead of trying to pick up the pieces when people couldn't afford the care until they were in a critical state.
And this is my opinion from both sides of the spectrum, as a patient and as a Nurse.

Answer 8

Only if the citizens want taxes increased to pay for it and only if equal emphasis is given to preventive care, stress reduction, nutritional information and food subsidies (direct to consumer, not to the producers) must be part of the solution as is economic development of depressed areas. Until a link is seen between poor health and all these other aspects of our lives, providing healthcare will only be a band-aid.

Answer 9

Well-Our Government does provide health care for illegal aliens like I never would have believed. I am a recent widow with an 8 & 9 yr. old who have just lost their health insurance due to Daddy being breadwinner and when I went to apply for Medical Assistance for them I was turned down due to owning a house and yet I counted 22 green card holding woman-most pregnant in the office while I was there and also several that were there with friends and illegal that had to "renew" their cards that they had received a year prior-yet several people there explained that even though they were there Illegally here they had given birth in this country so therefore were being given Medicaid. F**king Amazingly Wonderful Country this is! Thanks for letting me vent!

Answer 10

No, ever heard of socialism (which communism is a form of)? It failed and the country is now in the pits. This country is called Russia! This socialistic ways put much strain on the economy and currently most countries would break under the strain. Most people can afford healthcare. You don't hear about them because they don't complain. They know it could be worse.