Among the world's industrialized nations, the United States is the only one that does not provide universal access to medical coverage. Health care costs and insurance premiums continue to rise, while millions of Americans lack coverage. These factors have made health care reform a hotly debated issue since the early 1990s. Advocates of universal health care contend that such a system will improve access, control costs and foster a healthier, more just society. Opponents, meanwhile, claim any form of universal health coverage will create an economic burden, inject too much bureaucracy into medical services and move the United States toward a socialist system that will ultimately erode personal liberties.
Effects
The website Balanced Politics weighed the arguments for and against universal health care, noting that in 2010, Congress, with the support of President Barack Obama, passed a health care reform bill that is designed to make coverage available to more Americans. The website examined arguments for universal health care and reported that a universal system can reduce costs, eliminate inefficiency and duplication in the processing of insurance claims, and make coverage available to more people.
Benefits
In an article on the website of Physicians for a National Health Program, a group supporting a Canadian-style universal care system, Sara Robinson wrote that universal health care in the United States will reinforce the notion that a democratic society cannot function unless the people in it are invested in a common future. Pointing to the Canadian experience, Robinson wrote that universal health care underscores the value of interdependence among members of a society.
Considerations
Opponents of universal health care offer numerous arguments against it. Balanced Politics reported that opponents claim that a government-managed universal care system, such as those in Canada or the United Kingdom, will result in patients waiting months or years for treatment they can receive immediately under the existing U.S. health care system. They further contend that a universal system will hamper medical research and innovation, as well as lead to rationing of care by the government.
Expert Insight
The "American Journal of Public Health" studied the British National Health Service and found that most of the system's negative features, such as long waits, aging facilities and a shortage of medical specialists, result from chronic underfunding of the system by the British government rather than from an intrinsic problem with universal health care. Contrary to conservative claims that universal health care programs amount to socialism, the article's author stated that universal health care may actually support many conservative values, such as maximizing individual freedom and initiative by enabling people to take better care of themselves.
Potential
Balanced Politics also reported that universal health care can enable the United States to develop a national database of medical information that will make diagnosis and treatment easier and more effective. Such a system also will help to ensure more accurate patient information, providing better protection against bad diagnoses that compromise patient well-being.
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