What are some cons of universal healthcare?

Answer 1

High Taxes and Long Waits to get to a Doctor.

Answer 2

Very simple. Universal healthcare will be provided to all, but you will lose a lot of your rights in choosing what type of care you receive if the government is paying for it.

We will also likely lose the quality of care we receive, as all doctors will essentially be paid the same and be told how to provide their services. Certain diseases in this country have a very low fatality rate due to the availability of high paid specialists who can help us outlive these disorders and provide us with treatments. These cannot be provided universally, and in places where that is available (like Canada) the fatality rate of certain diseases (such as certain cancers) are significantly higher there.

Answer 3

There isn't a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the Tax Code handling health care?

"Free" health care isn't really free since we must pay for it with taxes; expenses for health care would have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education.

Profit motives, competition, and individual ingenuity have always led to greater cost control and effectiveness.

Government-controlled health care would lead to a decrease in patient flexibility.

Patients aren't likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now.

Just because Americans are uninsured doesn't mean they can't receive health care; nonprofits and government-run hospitals provide services to those who don't have insurance, and it is illegal to refuse emergency medical service because of a lack of insurance.

Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care.

Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc.

A long, painful transition will have to take place involving lost insurance industry jobs, business closures, and new patient record creation.

Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay may dissuade many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession.

Like social security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a "right" by the public, meaning that it's politically near impossible to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control.

Answer 4

Wait times in the hospitals. I know here in Canada you may have to wait as long as 10 months or more for a MRI if you dont need one in an emergency. With private healthcare you can pay to have something done right away, in universal... you basically wait in a line.

Answer 5

the cons seems to be plentiful. and most of them are wrong or blown out of proportion. i live in norway, we pay more tax than you do, but because we pay tax according to what we earn, it is no biggie. we have way better health care than americans, doctors make enough money, and med-school attracts the elite students. and the long line argument is lousy, first of all it is exaggerated, secondly you are basically saying you want people to stay home and possibly die, so you won´t have to be inconvenienced by waiting in line.

i think that is a bit cold and possibly evil

Answer 6

More of the lower economic class will live. This will make the Upper class very upset, since the Enigmas that are the lower class should not be entitled to anything such as Health care....they should work for it, Like George B. did...suffering through the trails of living as the rich son of oil aristocrats.

Answer 7

Try viewing healthcare the same way that you view other well ran govt. offices like police, fire, post office. There are some cons but with time things work themselves out.Now try seeing healthcare as necessary as these. MY HEALTH SHOULD NOT BE FOR CORPORATE PROFIT!!!

Answer 8

That some doctors will become hardened and not care anymore. That there will be longer lines and waiting lists in Dr's offices. That doctors offices will become assembly lines in which a doctor looks at you, diagnoses you, writes a Rx and sends you on your way. I'm not a big fan of Capitalism, but would prefer it in the medical world.

Answer 9

some of my family members live in a country with universal health care and they say it is a nightmare, long waits for appointments, quality of medical care is below par, all the good doctors leave the countries with free health care so that they can open private practice and make some decent money.

Answer 10

When the consumer isn't the payer, the seller has no incentive to satisfy the consumer. Also, the consumer has no incentive to economize the consumption. The payer has incentive to minimize his costs without taking into account the needs of the consumer.

That is just a start.