October 8, 2007
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Universal health care
A topic has been on my mind lately. Universal health care.
It’s a topic being talked about a lot. So many thoughts running through my head. Is it a good idea? bad idea? do I trust the government with my health?
Below is some of my research on the issue. I would love to hear your thoughts. What do you think about it and why?
Thousands of Americans lose their health insurance every day.
Health care costs continue to spiral out of control.
Even those with health care many times are one hospital stay away from debt, because the insurance doesn’t cover it. I should know. I had pneumonia in March. 5 days in the hospital.
Myth: The United States has the best health care system in the world.
The United States ranks 23rd in infant mortality.
The United States ranks 20th in life expectancy for women
The United States ranks 21st in life expectancy for meAround 30% of Americans have problem accessing health care due to payment problems or access to care, far more than any other industrialized country. About 17% of our population is without health insurance. About 75% of ill uninsured people have trouble accessing/paying for health care.
Access to health care is directly related to income and race in the United States. As a result the poor and minorities have poorer health than the wealthy
The quality of health care in the US has deteriorated under managed care. Access problems have increased. The number of uninsured has dramatically increased (increase of 10 million to 43.4 million from 1989 to 1996, increase of 2.4% from 1989 to 1996- 16% in 1996 and increasing each year).
The level of satisfaction with the US health care system is the lowest of any industrialized nation.
Health care has become increasingly unaffordable for businesses and individuals.
Free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and inquire about problems early when treatment will be light; currently, patients often avoid physicals and other preventive measures because of the costs.
There isn’t a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the U.S. Tax Code handling something as complex as health care?
Quick, try to think of one government office that runs efficiently. The Department of Transportation? Social Security Administration? Department of Education? There isn’t a single government office that squeezes efficiency out of every dollar the way the private sector can. We’ve all heard stories of government waste such as million-dollar cow flatulence studies or the Pentagon’s 14 billion dollar Bradley design project that resulted in a vehicle which when struck by a mortar produced a gas that killed every man inside. How about the U.S. income tax system? When originally implemented, it collected 1 percent from the highest income citizens. Look at it today. A few years back to government published a “Tax Simplification Guide”, and the guide itself was over 1,000 pages long! This is what happens when politicians mess with something that should be simple. Think about the Department of Motor Vehicles. This isn’t rocket science–they have to keep track of licenses and basic database information for state residents. However, the costs to support the department are enormous, and when was the last time you went to the DMV and didn’t have to stand in a long line? If it can’t handle things this simple, how can we expect the government to handle all the complex nuances of the medical system?
Because many people are uninsured and those that do have insurance face high deductibles, Americans often forego doctor visits for minor health problems or for preventive medicine. Thus, health problems that could be caught at an early stage or prevented altogether become major illnesses. Things like routine physicals and HIV tests could prevent major problems. This not only affects the health of the patient but the overall cost of the system, since preventive medicine costs only a small fraction of a full blown disease. A government-provided system would remove the disincentive patients have for visiting a medical professional.
I mean I cant decide. I would love to not have to worry about cost. I would love to not have to worry what if I get pneumonia again. But I don’t know if I can trust the government with my health either.
Comments (13)
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Government involvement is a bad idea. Period.
I say let the government do as it will. My health and life itself is in the hands of God. I’ll trust doctors but if I die from sickness then it was God’s time for me.
No thanks, actually no way! IMO, it is a really bad idea, for a lot of reasons.
I think you outlined and posed the question well! I am actually studying healthcare policy right now, and I dont have an answer. I think you are right though, something has to be done. The capitalist market has failed in this instance, and I think it needs some government help to straighten it out and make the system more effective and efficient. To me, that is one of the purposes of having a government in the first place. To correct market failures in the private sector. I am not sure exactly what form this should take to best use both organizational structures, but it is something that needs to be seriously considered and thought about.
One thing I would like to see the government do, however, is provide a single place for consumers to get accurate and adequate information on healthcare policies. I think that is a big problem right now.
As far as government subsidization, I dont think it’s feasible or even in our best interest for every single American to have purely government paid insurance. We simply cant afford it with our current rate of taxes, and I just dont see any way the American public will allow our taxes to be raised enough to sufficiently fund a national healthcare plan. Which is fine with me, because if it did there would be a lot of waste. In a single payer system, where doctors get paid on a fee-for-service basis, there is no incentive to make things efficient. Im kind of thinking that we should keep subsidizing for people who need it (ie: medicaid and medicare) but also find a way to make getting insurance more attractive, and important. The more people we get into the system, the lower prices will be, because there will be less sick people percentage wise, and thus less risk for the insurance company in insuring them. One way that has been proposed to do this is offer some sort of tax credit, meaning money spent on premiums would be tax deductible, or something like that. There are many ways to do it I am finding out!!
In any case, there is no easy fix, so I would really suggest that we try something close to what we want and tweak it as needed. Again, the problem is there is not one place with all the options spread out to look at. I think that is the first step. Then we can make informed decisions.
Sorry for the long comment… it is a complex subject! take care and have a great night!
Brianne (NIkita)
I am linking you now.
Would universal health care require giving anything up?
I am not really thrilled with the idea of the government controling our healthcare. I mean they can’t even handle what they have now. Plus look at our public school system it can’t compete with many countries. It’s costly I know but I would rather have control. I also think that it will be more about quantity and not quality.
I have a novel idea… Get the gov’t out of healthcare, and a half-dozen other things that cost tax money and accomplish nothing. Let us keep our money, instead of paying tithes-times-ten to the IRS, and spend it on our own healthcare (and other needs)
Of course, I kind of stole the idea from Ron Paul…
You chosen facts that support your argument. But, you ignore logic and about a gozillian other facts.
Why don’t you types just drop the pretense and try to convert us all to socialism and/or communism. Then we can things for “free” and own nothing. And that wall we build on the border will turn into a wall that keeps people in – to take earnings from – like the Berlin wall kept Russians enslaved to a system, that yeah …mmm hmmm …gave them “free” healthcare too. I’ll be one of the eggs you break along the way.
I promise you this. Nothing, NOTHING, I say will convince you of changing your mind (or the collective mind developing) of the horrific path we are now on. Universal Healthcare is a sweet sounding lie.
Creed of kings,
Actually I am not for or against universal health care. I am still
researching and trying to figure out where I stand on the issue.
I would not mind at all if you have facts against it that you want to
put in my comment section. I would actually welcome it as I am still
making up my mind on what I think and love hearing what others think.
In the Scandinavian countries, the cost of universal health care has nearly broken the bank and there has been talk in recent years of cutting back because they can’t afford it any longer.
In Britain, universal health care has reduced the overall quality of health care that is available to citizens, and many doctors have left the country because of government interference in how health care should be provided.
In Canada, health care takes for ever to get because of the approval process needed before one can be seen by a physcan. That’s right. The government actually has control over whether you can go to a doctor doday or not.
How would you like a government clerk telling you that they don’t thing youare sick enough to see a doctor. Their are women in Canada right now who don’t get proper prenatal care for this reason. One woman recently came across the border to the U.S. to have her baby because Canada’s system denied her proper care that surely would have cost her her health and the infant’s life.
Is that enough reason for you to decide against Universal Health Care?
The govrnment has no basis for being in health care. private business can un it a lot cheaper.
RYC: yes he was the kid from Pay It Forward
I am continually fascinated by the anti-Universal Health Care myths and won’t even try to sort them out.
I’ll just say that for the past decade or so my wife and I have been active participants in the US version – Medicare- which, despite all you hear, is not going broke, does not put an undue strain on us taxpayers, and is delivering among the US’s best health care. Read the law- it is required to break even every year.
In case you haven’t heard, the major purpose of health care is to treat sick people and keep them healthy, not show an efficient bottom line. Our present system, which is (except for medicare/medicaid/ medicareRx) presently run by for-profit insurance companies, is not doing either an efficient or an adaquate job of treating the ill. We have far and away the most expensive healthcare system in the world, but certainly not the best.
The time has come for Universal Single Payer Health Care and I’m going to do all I can to encourage politicians to inact one. I think the rest of you should have the same advantages I have, at the same cost.