Why USA can't have universal health care?

Question

I just watched sicko by Michael Moore. Great movie but I just don’t understand why is so hard for the USA to have universal health care? Isn’t the drug company one way or other making a profit by selling their drugs to the government or private insurance company anyway? Maybe they can even jack up the price even more since we all know when government is paying we always add more to the price. Anyway I just don’t understand why USA can’t have universal health care or at least have the choice for poor people to have this and the richer people to choose have their own private health care system. In addition I would also like to know how this is possible: in the movie there was a case where a guy saw off his two fingers by accident, I thought in the case of emergency like this the hospital should re-attached both of his fingers no matter what, then after that tell him about the cost. I just don’t know how this works. Please help better understand these issues. Thank you!

Answer 1

The quick and simple answer is that as long as health care is in private hands and certain individuals stand to make billions in profit from the illnesses of others we cannot have universal health care because it would hurt their bottom line. Some things are not meant to be a profit industry.

Answer 2

I don't think of health care as a univeral right. Right now every patient gives money into the system that helps develop drugs in the private system, which history has shown us is a much better innovator than the government. Every person that comes to use the "universal" system would be a hinderance on the system - taking money out instead of putting it in. You mentioned you know about "the people with 5 kids, drug abusers, etc." but you offer no plan on why we need to help them along with the middle class families. Should it be a blanket "right" for everyone to have healthcare. What if you smoke, drink, snort coacaine, and sleep with prostitutes and I do none of those things. I can not see how giving the same coverage free to each case is fair or right at all.

Answer 3

Because universal health care does not work. When you watch the movie understand even Michael Moore himself called it a satire. Universal health care leads to more problems than we have now. Do you really want the same government that many denounce for their decisions on the war and education determining whether or not you need to get treated. Canada is a good example of Universal health care gone bad. It takes months or even years for "emergency" situations to be treated. And as far as the Pharm companies go they have to sell at higher prices because of the costs of trials and testing of their drugs that never make it to market. Realize it costs a pharm company nearly 20 million just to test many new drugs 75% of which will never turn a profit. Bottom line is universal health care will not and does not work take a look at other countries that have it see the problems that it has cost many Canadians come to America to get treated becasue they can not wait.

Answer 4

Universal healthcare has its downfalls. First of all, taxes would be about double, if not more. So all you people out there who are healthy, have to pay for the ones who are not. Second, you really do not get a choice to go see the "Best" specialist in a particular field. For instance, if you have cancer that is not being cured, good luck getting to see a better specialist. It is almost as if they are on equal playing fields. And have fun waiting in line at the dr's office. We think we have it bad here. It always seems like grass is greener on the other side, but it is not. If I were sick, I can' think of anywhere else I would want to be than in the USA. Besides, instead of universal healthcare, I think all INSURANCE COMPANIES need to become non-profit. That is why the cost has skyrocketed. If you want to be mad about healthcare, don't blame republicans, blame them!

Answer 5

We don't have universal health care because we, meaning the majority, don't want it. Our government can be very wasteful, and it's already bloated enough. Nothing that our government takes control of works. Those who want universal health care mean well, but are uninformed. We are not a socialist country and most of us want to keep it that way. If that means I can't afford to go the the doctor, so be it. I won't trade my democratic liberties for a government freebie, which by the way, is not free at all. We would all pay heavily for our government's wasteful program of universal health care and would get poor service to boot.

Answer 6

It would be great if we did have Universal health care, however, you end up paying for it anyway through the increase in taxes and any person who has any type of job would be taxed out of existence, if you think you are poor now and have a job, just think about how much they already deduct from your pay for social security and medicaid, medicare, these figures would double so actually the people that would end up hurting the most over it would not be the rich, or the unemployed, but the people who work hard for every penny they get and live paycheck to paycheck. Insurance is big business, and the only control you can exert over premiums in to have a competitive market, also, insurance companies lobby very hard and politicians are greedy, it seems that they can all be bought.

Answer 7

There is Medicaid for all the unemployed mothers and children and illegal aliens and medicare for all the old people and there is going to an emergency room where you cannot be turned down for treatment no matter what your status is. Free is what most of it is and what drives the costs up for insurance. Many areas also have free clinics where docs and nurses give their services and also meds are provided. Don't think Sicko is a true story of all of it.

Answer 8

Oh there's lots of reasons. Underlying the base of it all is both political parties have raided the Social Security Trust Fund and left a bunch of IOUs. Well, those IOUs are coming home to roost. Massive mass pandemonium. Patriotism with Poverty will be the key concept advertisement that whoever is in charge by then will have to emphasize.

Getting sick/injured is just the luck factor to the American Dream. If you don't get sick that Dream is yours. That's just the way it is.

Answer 9

I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. I have a good healthcare program for my family because I PAY for it. I want my family to have better care than is given to someone who doesn't or in many cases WILL NOT pay. In America, you are guaranteed the RIGHT to life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is an opportunity not a handout. Citizens must be individually responsible for the accomplishment of these goals. I pay a high price for medical costs now due to the the enormous amount of medical care given to the indigent and those who I consider to be "criminally irresponsible". And by the way, government isn't paying - I am. Me and a lot of other people who get up and go to WORK everyday and have 28% - 33% of our earnings taken from us in order to support the rest you lazy bums that think the "government" owes you something! "Universal" is just another way of saying everybody gets the same reward regardless of the effort. Fifty years ago they called this socialism. Today its called democratic compassion.

Answer 10

Political Hot Potato.
Congress seems to have forgotten who they represent.
Q. Who pays and how much?
Doctors afraid of more red-tape and interference because of costs.Drug companies,more regulations. Insurance companies-self preservation. Lawyers-cann't sue the Government Clause