If the US had an NHS - their taxes should go DOWN - am I wrong?

Question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare#Economics

The US government already spends $2547.10 per citizen per year. ($5,711 but 44.6% cent state financed)

The UK government spends $2081 per citizen per year. ($2428 but 85.7% state funded)

So the US can have an NHS, by cutting taxes, and redistributing what they already spend... No?

Answer 1

No. Their taxes would go up, to pay for an NHS.  

Did you mean their expenditure on health would go down?

Answer 2

Sure... our nation is far too greedy to think that logically... if that is the case then someone high up isn't getting the raise he wants.... and we can't have that lol

Answer 3

Ultimately, yes.      But, remember costs are higher in the US.

Answer 4

To begin with Wikipedia in my opinion is not credible and if you are asking your question based off of Wikipedia then this may be one example where the creditability of the author is questioned.

My response is based on my experiences living both in the US and UK. Having lived in the UK I can say the quality of medical care is the same as it is in the United States but a nationalized health service means less surgery is performed which means more alternatives are sought like pain management.  Also since health care is managed centrally and not consumer driven it means unless the procedure is an emergency you do have to wait for it. Waiting times does vary from less than 2 weeks for cancer to 18 weeks for knee surgery. Based on my experience there are several fundamental differences between the structure of the US and UK which I have highlighted some of the in my response.  In order for America to have a NHS I believe it would require some drastics changes which I do not believe America is ready to make at this time.

First of all the UK is a welfare state. For many Americans it is a four-letter word but by being a welfare state the UK ensures that its citizens are cared for while providing a strong currency, nearly $2 for every £1 and because it is a welfare state it does not have the social-ills such as homelessness to the same extent as the US.

Second, the economies in the UK and US are driven by two different mechanisms. In the US it is a free market driven by consumer demand and it is regulated for the most part through litigation. Only when necessary does the government of the US legislate market behaviour whereas, in the UK the economy is driven by controlling inflation and protecting the consumer in the market-place. This means that there is much more government control of the markets in the UK.

Finally in the tax structure in the UK is much different. Since it is a welfare state ensuring that it citizens are protected the UK has gone to a flat tax rate based on income and taxes more so that it can provide for its citizens such as health care through the NHS. Whereas the US is more concerned with only taxing to the point where it is necessary and leaving the individual to decide what they need.

In order for the US to provide a NHS care it would require a change to its economy, tax structure, and culture which I do not believe would happen. Furthermore it would require the government to become more proactive in controlling costs and provide more funding for health care. This is something I do not believe the American people and its government are not ready this. Also this would mean taxes would have to go up along with the tax system needing to be restructured in order to pay for such a large expenditure. In essence this would mean more items would be taxed and the rate would be higher. Unless Americans are willing to move from an economy driven by the free markets to one that is more centrally controlled then providing a NHS style health care would not be possible. In order to your question would taxes go down my answer is a definitive no.

Answer 5

Yes... But they would end up with the same quality of care for all. Currently, the rich can get very good care, whereas the poor are cordially invited to die in the gutter.

Whilst universal healthcare would be ethical, I think the rich folk would resent a drop in their care provision, for the benefit of the poor. America's very focussed on money, and the things it buys.

Answer 6

Yes, you are quite right.

America spends a fortune on health care and gets a second rate system in return.

The issue is not the money spent per capita, but the fact that in America the money vanishes into profits, red tape, insurance companies and various other places other than actual health care.

This is why America always ranks poorly on longevity, preventable deaths, overall health and other stuff you see in international comparison studies.

I think America would do well to figure out what is going on in Japan, France and Germany as a start, and see if they can emulate that, rather than carrying on with the current unfair system or modeling the NHS, which is only marginally more effective (albeit 'free').

EDIT: I just wanted to mention something that people have brought up with regards to socialized medicine.  It is a common misconception that if you have socialized medicine it will lower the standards for the elite classes.  But that simply is not true.

As an example, when I lived in the UK, I had access to the free NHS whenever I wanted.  All doctor and hospital visits or stays free, prescriptions were around $12 each regardless of cost (this fee is waived for students, children and seniors).

However, my employer gave me private health insurance for free (no pay check deduction).  With that it allowed me to jump the line and get top of the line private medicine were I to need something like a non-urgent operation for which there may have been an NHS waiting list.

In countries that have socialized medicine (and that's all industrialized countries except America and South Africa), you have the socialized medicine as a safety net for the poor right up to the middle class.  But the upper echelons can also choose to purchase private medical insurance to provide them with that first class service they expect.

So you don't lose anything in a socialized health care system.  The rich (or people with a good job) can still get their 'fancy' health care, and the poor are not left in the gutter to die.

America could have it tomorrow if they wanted.  But there are too many lobby groups, powerful corporations, and people with a vested financial interest in keeping things as they are.

They tell lies to the American people about the cost  of socialized medicine to frighten people into not pushing for a better system.

Fact is, America has nearly 50 million people without proper access to health care.  The number one cause of personal bankruptcy in America is medical bills.  The system is broken and it needs to be fixed.