Please help...Universal health care question?

Question

I am doing a report on the political issues associated with a PRO universal health care program...I am not too sure what he's asking for...What kind of political issues are associated with making a universal health care? I have to argue the pro side...

Answer 1

Yea, here is something I wrote about it -- once you wade through it, you'll see I am very much for it, and take to task those that are against it and the contradictions their ideals represent.

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We have freedom to speak out.
Freedom to vote.
Freedom to travel, buy what we want, etc.

But what is that freedom worth if we don't have financial freedom?

I'm not talking about being poor, or not having enough money, I am talking about that $hit happens and even if the best of us planners plan for our future, they can still end up on the very short end, on welfare, food stamps and lack of medical care.

Example:
How many stories have I heard from people who have relatives, friends or themselves where their medical insurance ran out, their life savings depleted and forced to sell their homes and end up in bankruptcy?

Example:
A friend of mine has been coughing up blood. The hospital was not able to determine the cause until last week. The insurance company then sent him a bill for $40,000, saying it was a pre-existing condition.

Example:
Another friend of mine, who was repeatedly told, by the insurance company, that he was in fact insured, was then presented a bill for $85,000 because the insurance company said they made a mistake and he was in fact, NOT INSURED.

Example:
My brother in law, at the age of 22 came down with Multiple Sclerosis. He had just started a new job and his insurance had not kicked in. He was forced to sell his home he had just bought. Of course that money ran out quickly, he then had to seek relief from public welfare and the MS Society. It was a frigging nightmare, always battling the bureaucrats and his illness.

Example:
My Grandfather, who died a few years ago, had a very nice home, yet when he came down with a long term debilitating illness, he was forced to borrow against his $750,000 home. His only sibling, the sole beneficiary to his estate, my mother, ended up with a little less then $25,000 from the sale of the home after his death.

Example:
50% of all bankruptcies are due to medical costs and 68% of those had medical insurance. The key word is HAD, because their lifetime benefit ran out.
http://www.fixourhealthcare.ca.gov/index.php/facts/more/6773/

Example:
It seems the ones that are against abortion will fight against Universal Health Care which would provide pre natal care for mothers and healthier babies. Now we have the dubious distinction of having one of the highest infant mortality rates of the industrialized countries.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-11-07-state-health_x.htm

According to the CIA Book of World Facts, our infant mortality rate rank at 180th, between S Korea and Croatia with Angola having the highest rate at number 1, Singapore the lowest at 221, Cuba at 182, Canada at 199, France at 216 and Germany at 210.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html

Why is it, the richest country in the world doesn't have universal health care, when every industrialized western country does? Why can they do it, but we can't?

Why is it that so many Americans are so selfish, consumed with their own self interest that they won't pay a dime for others health care, yet those same people, it seems, will fight tooth and nail for peoples rights in other countries and bankrupt our country in the process? That makes no sense whatsoever.

I keep hearing from the one size fits all personal responsibly crowd that supporting Universal Health Care is NOT THEIR PROBLEM, that they have prepared and why should they, as tax payers, pay for it? Listen people, this is very important to those that believe in that kind of selfishness, YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE.

Then factor in, that when I see posts about how bad Universal Health Care is in countries that have it, why are those coming mostly from 2nd hand sources? Yet when I hear from people how great it is, that comes from people who live under it.

Our constitution guarantees the welfare of our people, why do we ignore that? Why do we let corporate greed take over and jack up our health care costs to the point were we have the costly medical care on the planet? Yet the ones who are against universal health care fight for the rich fat cat who doesn't give one $hit for them or the horse they rode in on.

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We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense,

promote the general welfare,

and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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There ya got it, Universal Health Care and protection from skyrocketing cost for needed services.

Our federal politicians have Universal Health Care that follows them to the grave. Why does the ultra privileged class have it, yet the very ones they are supposed to represent, don’t?

Plus, here is the final killer, we provide Universal Health Care to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since we provide it to two countries, why don’t we provide it to ourselves as well? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about our own people first?
http://www.gadling.com/2007/07/05/what-countries-have-universal-health-care/

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The reason I don't like Universal Health Insurance because it assumes that the person can afford to pay the premium. Which will hit the middle class more then the rich and the poor will probably have free medical care.

Universal Health Care should be a right as a citizen. Not an obligation by business, or the responsibility of you to pay a premium.

I truly believe we can still maintain the best health care in the world even under such a system. And those that want premium health care that is above what is universally available can pay for it and go to the Beverley Hills Hospital of Profit for the Terminally Rich where they can have a private room, flowers delivered every morning and dancing Munchkins singing "We're Off to See the Stinking Rich Doctor." to get lipo'd to skinnyness.
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Peace

Jim

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Answer 2

First off, stop calling it HEALTH CARE! The issue is HEALTH INSURANCE. The nature of commercial insurance means that not everyone is 'insurable'. That is the premium is based on the risk. If the risk is too great then the premium has to be well beyond the means of the riskee. Health insurance companies make money by 'not paying' bills, or if the insured never submits a claim. The point here is to take the money in, but pay out as little as possible. That's why if you have a 'pre-existing' condition you can't be insured. If you live in a bad neighborhood or don't measure up to a dozen or more underwriting rules you're 'not insurable. UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE turns this around. As there is no profit, no high salaries and no huge advertising budget the premiums per person are much lower. As the point is pay the medical bills of the insured and not to simply take the money and then weasle out of paying, doctors and hospitals are assured of payment from everyone...so overhead is lower for them..another savings. UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE means that Medicare and Medicade programs will be folded into a general single-payer plan, so in the end the overall tax expense to the individual will be the same or lower. The only 'poitical' issue here is that the reactionaries of the GOP have convinced themselves that any change in the current system is 'socialism' and these same reactionaries are tied to the political contributions of the health insurance industry. A fully funded, single payer, federally chartered, non-profit UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE plan will put these guys out of business. Too bad for them, but think about it....if they could or would insure everyone there would be no need for UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE. They can't or they won't, so it's time to cut them loose.

Answer 3

1. It is best for the well being of ALL our citizens, especially innocent children who can't fall under the opponent's excuse of "personal responsibility."

2. A healthier, therefore more productive, less serious illness-prone society.

3. No more going bankrupt to pay medical bills.

4. Take greed and profit out of the system.

5. Eliminate the "middle man" role of insurance companies.

6. No one should be denied health care if they need it (unlike what happens now - and I'm talking about people WITH insurance).

7. Quality of health care should not depend on social status (i.e. Congress gets it, why shouldn't it be available to every citizen?).

8. It better fulfills our constitution's guarantees (life and the pursuit of happiness) than what we have now.

9. Cost of health care provides unneeded burden upon businesses.

10. Every industrialized nation in the world has it - shouldn't the greatest (as some would argue) nation as well?

Answer 4

EVERY other developed country has some form of universal health care. And they pay half or less as much as Americans, as a percentage of GDP for the same or better care.

Every other developed country see a certain level of health care as a right of citizenship, just like fire protection or police protection. These services are not 'free' but we don't pay out of pocket for them, and we don't ration them based on the ability to pay, as we do with health care in the US.

The problem is that the existing insurance companies want only to insure healthy people who won't cost them a lot of money. The people they won't insure, we all pay for. The reason we have Medicare and Medicaid is because the insurance companies didn't want to insure the elderly, the poor, the chronically ill, so they pushed them onto the US govt. while they insure only the most profitable people. But Medicare has radically smaller overhead costs and is much more efficient, for care that most patients are happy with. If we simply expanded Medicare to cover everyone in the country, we'd save hundreds of billions of dollars a year in the US.

Most Americans, when polled, want a 'single payer' plan as they have in Canada where the health care companies, the hospitals and clinics and doctors, are all private and competitive, but the govt. handles the insurance--which is how Medicare works. The problem is that our political system is so corrupt, because money is so important in politics, that the health insurance companies' profits are safe because no politician is going to vote to eliminate them.

Answer 5

are people seriously that ignorant about the issue to think there are no positives?

if you look at the WHO's top health care providers... the vast majority of the top 30 all have universal health care...

those nations also have some of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world and highest average life-spans...

it also costs about half as much per person on average...

so you have a better chance at surviving birth, will probably live longer at half the cost...

they also are much better at preventing illness and getting to illnesses before they become serious

Answer 6

You will need to explain:

1) how universal health care is better than the current system (or better yet, how it is better than a true free market health care system - which doesn't exist anymore)

2) how the system will be paid for - the cost of health care will sky rocket when the consumer no longer has to pay for anything

3) how the system will avoid rationing of health care (which happens in ALL universal health care systems because of the law of supply and demand)

Unfortunately, these problems are core reasons why such a system can never work. So, good luck rationally arguing for such a system. Your best bet will be to ignore reality and argue with emotions rather than facts and reason.

Answer 7

In many countries like the US, health insurance is an individual's responsibility. With a universal health care program, everyone's medical care is paid for with taxes. The main reason people support it is because of people who can't afford insurance. The main reason people oppose it is because they feel it's not fair to make everyone pay higher taxes to cover individuals' medical costs.

Answer 8

in a nutshell, universal healthcare would be like a Sam's Club Warehouse of healthcare, but provided by the U.S. Government, not living-wage Chinese workers as Sam's Club products are lol - but by "buying in bulk" healthcare, so to speak, for the entire nation, at least everyone gets their shots and cavities filled and yadda yadda

it'd be cheap for the basic necessities, you'd still have to get the boob-jobs on your own $ but everyone'd be vaccinated and it'd make hospital bills less terrifying during hospital visits, which are typically traumatic enough on their own

Answer 9

Pro's of Universal Healthcare:

Canadian Doctors will no longer come here for surgery.

Liberals will have another major fund to rape besides Social Security.

The Government will decide when an individual is terminal and no longer "worthy" of medical attention.

Hillary and Billary will retire on "funds" they refuse to account for ("...it depends on how you define "funds...").

Answer 10

Good luck because there is NOTHING good about universal health care.

Sorry :(