The concept of Universal Health Care is a highly debated topic that has divided political parties for many years. Like many of you, I wondered just what is it exactly, and what this means for the average taxpayer? After spending time trying to find out more on the subject, I can say now that free health care certainly isn’t free, and it is a concept this country should stay far away from.
Some may ask if it is so bad, why is every other country doing some form of it? As your parents may have said when you were younger ”If all the other kids were jumping off a bridge, would you want to do that as well?” Now before I get into this, I want to take a look at the ideas behind Universal health Care, and why it sounds so appealing at first. It is true that in a country with over 300 million people, a little more than ten percent are uninsured. Health Care itself has become increasingly unaffordable in recent years to many individuals without coverage. And yes, many medical professionals seem more concerned with malpractice liability and insurance procedures than they are with actually providing quality care. Universal Health Care (UHC) would tackle these issues, as well as centralize medical records in a single database, making it easier for medical professionals to access. It would allow every person the chance to receive care, no matter what. However, here is the one flaw already apparent. Every person already has access by law. It is against the law to deny anyone emergency care. Now I know that some might say that is just for emergencies, what about day-to-day use? Well, there are non-profit hospitals around the nation that still provide care to the uninsured. They are willing and able to work with patients who do not have coverage. The money they get comes partly from the government yes (through grants), but it also comes from private insurers who pay per-diem or on the basis of fee-for-service schedules which can cover the costs of any losses taken to provide medical services. They also get a nifty little bonus of being exempt from certain taxes other organizations must pay.
Another idea is that with UHC, it will encourage people to take a preventative approach to their own health. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s already happening. However, you must consider the nature of the beast. People know that smoking causes cancer, and yet many people still smoke. People know they should eat three to four fruits and vegetable every day…and yet some people have a diet consisting of Red Bull, Powerbars, and Cap’n Crunch. People know that drugs are dangerous, but we still have an epidemic in this country that has no end in sight. Just because a person is encouraged to do what is right, doesn’t mean they will actually do it. Human nature aside, there are still ad campaigns striving to teach people how to live healthier lives as well as community outreach programs trying to teach school kids the value of living healthy. Just because government controls access to heath care, doesn’t mean people are going to start living healthier. In fact, it probably won’t curb prescription drug usage or doctor visits at all. The scary realization is, once heath care is more affordable and “free”, more people will be flocking to the hospital for every little sniffle and scrape. On a side note, you would think that not having coverage would encourage people to take better care of themselves, not the other way around.
Some argue that UHC is successful overseas. However, according to Britain’s Department of Health, the current wait time for outpatient referrals to see a doctor is on average, 18 weeks. Let that sink in for a minute. Let’s say on the first day of the semester you are referred to a doctor for general care (nothing major, just a casual medical visit). You make an appointment, and then two weeks after the semester is over you can finally meet with the doctor. Oh yeah, that sounds mighty efficient. Sure, emergency care will be provided in a somewhat timely manner but…oh wait! It already is over here without UHC.
Now the other dirty secret of UHC, is that some call it free health care. I’m sure most of you have heard that old saying, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” That is so unfortunately true, it isn’t funny. Remember, if the government is paying for it, they get that money from you, the tax payer. We all dislike paying taxes, and we all look down on tax hikes. Now imagine if there was UHC finally instituted in this country. The money has to come from somewhere. Now even more money is pulled from your paycheck. That means less money you take home for those keeping score. Here is the other thing, what if you are completely healthy and never need to see a doctor? Well guess what, you’re paying for it anyway. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like paying for something I’m not using. Tack on to that the fact that technically, you are paying for someone else too. I’m sure we all have friends that on occasion, we don’t mind picking up their tab, because we know they will do the same in return some day. However, we all have known at least one person who never seems to have the money. They always “forget” their wallet at home or something like that. You always end up paying for them, and they never return the favor. That gets annoying, real fast. Now think about those right now who are collecting welfare and are milking the system for all it’s worth (not those legitimately unemployed, but those leaching off society). They don’t have a job, so they don’t pay taxes. With UHC they can go to the doctor on your bill. You pay for them. The person who willing injures themselves or willing does something to get sick, you pay for them too. I can say honestly that I really don’t like paying for something I don’t use, and it annoys me more when I have to pay for other people (especially those who are trying to take advantage of me), and I really get upset even more when I have to pay for somebody else’s mistake. I want you to remember that commercial about stealing cable. It’s the one where the guy at the grocery store leaves with a cart full of goods and doesn’t pay. The next person in line is given the bill. That is UHC in its most basic form. You pay so others can benefit, whether they deserve it (or need it) or not.
Another argument for UHC is that the government will make health care better because it will make it efficient. Now, the last time I checked, the great bureaucracy that is our government is well known for not being very efficient at all. Currently the government has a form of medical coverage called Medicare. However, the officials involved wastes about a third of the money it spends. Now imagine that on a bigger scale. Look at the current stimulus bill. Sure, that money is supposed to go to us, the people. However about $300 million of that package is going to congress to buy electric golf carts so they can get around Washington…despite already having a private tram system already in place. Just because the government controls it, doesn’t mean it is efficient. Usually (and unfortunately), the opposite is true.
Do you really want our government to control heath care completely? Do you really want tax increases so you can pay for something you might rarely use, but others who take advantage of everything will abuse? Do you really want health care to mimic the inefficient wait times and quality that other countries have? I certainly don’t. If I wanted what other countries have, I would move there. I spent time overseas, and I was ready to come back home after my tour was over. I still love this country despite its flaws and inefficiencies. However, letting it slide into a socialist state where the government controls everything is not my idea of a free country. Let the non-profit hospitals continue doing their jobs. Let government leave health care alone so that the private citizen can decide whether or not they want to spend money on heath coverage. After all, being free means deciding for yourself. If we take that away, then what do we have left?
Web Sites Cited
Department of Health. Treatment Statistics. 2008. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/18WeeksReferraltoTreatmentstatistics/index.htm
Earle, Geoff. "Congress $hopping Carts."
US Census Bureau. Universal Health Care Coverage. Almanac of Policy Issues. 2002. http://www.policyalmanac.org/health/universal_health.shtml
Reinhardt, Uwe. "How Do Hospitals Get Paid." January 2009. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/how-do-hospitals-get-paid-a-primer/
Live Healthy America. 2009. http://www.livehealthyamerica.org/
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