Should America have free healthcare for all?

Question

It could be perhaps funded by not going to pointless and costly wars in Iraq? Hehe your´e all so dumb and you´re fearful of you´re own government. I pitty you.

Answer 1

Americans live in a backward retarded society when they can't even provide the basics of free health care, seriously what an uncaring society ! In Australia health care is "free", to cover the collective cost a medicare levie is impossed on all tax payers, which is currently capped at 1% of what you earn. For example a tax payer on $50,000 p.a. pays a Medicare levie of $500 p.a. for free health care, time for the US to get with the programme !

Answer 2

It's an excellent question, but I don't think it really is the right one to ask. The right one to ask is whether everyone in America should be covered by health insurance. I think the answer of course is yes.

How that is achieved is a more complex matter. The United States at present does not have a health care system; it has a medical economy. Approximated 90% of those involved in that economy provide NO direct health care to patients. Most of them are busy pushing paper. Those opposed to universal health care claim that government-provided and subsidized health care would be wasteful and rationed. What other industry survives with 90% overhead?

Once you accept the idea of universal coverage, the question can then turn to how. It's a complex one problem which needs to have a complex answer. My initial comment would be that the government should provide a basic level of coverage to its citizens, should they want it. In Japan, about 50% of health costs are subsidized; in Australia, approximately 2/3's. Both countries incidentally are vibrant free-market countries who enjoy high standards of living (both higher than the U.S.).

The rest of coverage is made up through health insurance companies. These partially subsidized systems not only work very well, but they leave a portion of health care to the private sector.

For those who claim that socialized medicine is rationed medicine, that is one of the biggest lies ever perpetrated by the medical industry: when 45 million people have no health care of any kind, and approximately another 50 million have minimal coverage, THAT is rationed.

The rich will always go to will always go to where treatment is best, regardless of country. For the rest of us, there's a clear need for change.

Cheers.

Answer 3

Organized conventional medicine is a fraud and controls the congress by bribery (lobbyists), so so-called free healthcare will never happen. All citizens should have the freedom to choose their respective type of healthcare, whether alternative, naturopathic, holistic, or conventional, and whatever their choice, the government should pay for their care. There should be monetary incentives not to use the healthcare system, such as $1000.00 reimbursement each year that one doesn't go to a doctor or practioner. There should be monetary incentives to eat health foods, reduce weight, and practice good dental health. Monetary incentives would discourage people from going to see a healthcare provider for minor so perceived health matters. Free healthcare should only be provided to U.S. citizens and legal foreigners, never to criminal illegal aliens.

Answer 4

There's really no such thing as "free" health care, unless you get treated at a hospital and run away without paying the bill.

Currently, most Americans have insurance through their jobs or because they pay for it separately. Either way, they pay for it through premiums. If the United States switched to a type of universal health care, the government would be paying hospital bills with money taken from taxes.

So either way, you're still paying for health care. Universal health care would be less expensive in the long term however, because the government would have the ability to negotiate with pharmaceutical corporations and hospitals to get lower drug prices and lowered health care costs. Additionally, more money could be invested in preventative care to treat health problems early on before they become more expensive to fix later.

Answer 5

Private Insurance companies should have to put 85% of insurance premiums to direct patient care and all veterans should have a Hero's card to have free healthcare anywhere in the US - 5 time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Governor Richardson's Healthcare Plan.

Answer 6

No... America should not have free healthcare for all.

There is no such thing as free.. if you think about it - someone has to pay the doctors(they don't go to school for 8 years to volunteer), nurses and office people. All this would be paid for with higher taxes. So you would be paying for healthcare when you pay your taxes

Answer 7

It should be a non profit health care system... 33% of health care dollars go to direct health care... The rest is waste and profit.

I find it so funny that the politicans that have free health care paid for by the people are so against it.

I'm pretty sure the Rush and Bill'O and the rest of pundents have health insurance from their employers...

If you are self employed which makes up allot of Americans you already pay for your health insurance and for others with taxes. So if I pay it with taxes or if I pay it with an insurance preimums it really is much of the same...

Although I know plenty of the working poor. People like my mother who work over full time that can not afford health insurance...

So I am for universal health care....

Answer 8

There is no such thing as free healthcare--you pay for it by being taxed up the butt--a country like canada has socialized medicine, but also has tax rates well over fifty percent

Answer 9

If you can come up with a way to make it free then I say go for it but if you mean you get free medical care and I pay for it then the answer is NO.

Answer 10

"Free" means free at the point of delivery ie at your doctor or hospital.

Like education, a fit and healthy population is a priceless asset.
The rest of the world look aghast at American obesity and young sickos massacring their schoolmates.

It is, of course, funded through taxes for the benefit of all.

Medics are paid by the government and through their Private Practices.