Why do people think Universal health care would be just wonderful?

Question

All you need to do is look at how the Government runs the education system.

Answer 1

It is always easier to get votes when you tell people that their problems are not their fault. You get even more votes by telling people that you will make sure they do not have to take responsibility for themselves and their own well being.

Healthcare is one such issue. It takes personal discipline and responsibility to eat right, exercise, stop unhealthy habits like smoking, and get regular check ups. Only the last one really costs you anything at all and even then the cost is minimal. Yet these are the most important things you can do to secure a healthy life. No amount of government control, short of mustering every citizen outside for morning exercises on penalty of law, will make this happen. You have to take responsibility for you.

There is nothing wrong with healthcare in the US per se. In fact, we have some of the best healthcare in the world here. You can walk into any emergency room in the country and get treated. And if you cannot pay for it, the hospital still cannot refuse you care and they eat the expense. That is why so many hospitals, especially here in Southern California, are going bankrupt. Open a phone book and you can find page after page of doctors offering every conceivable specialty, make an appointment, and be seen promptly. The problem is the cost of delivering this care. There are several factors that drive this and frankly, I do not see how nationalizing healthcare will have a serious impact on it.

Nationalizing healthcare would dramatically increase government costs. Not just in the actual cost of service, but also in the national bureaucracy needed to maintain the federal program. You are talking about hundreds of billions of additional spending. Free healthcare is, as you would expect, not really “free”. Also, since it would be so widely available, it would be used so much that the system, without the financial limitation on personal behavior, would be quickly overwhelmed. This is what causes rationing of services and delays. There are only so many hours in a day and so many doctors to see patients. One of the major complaints in countries that have a nationalized healthcare system is rationing; having to wait months for knee replacements or over a year for a new heart valve, and that sort of thing.

There are things that can be done to reduce cost, and thus make healthcare more available to the public without the burden of a government bureaucracy. For example, limiting malpractice lawsuits to actual damages is one way. Punishments for gross malpractice should not go to making plaintiffs, and moreso the plaintiffs attorney, independently wealthy. This drives up the cost of insurance to the point that many doctors are simply closing their practices. By limiting lawsuits, you limit the cost of the service, which in turn allows the service to be provided as a lower cost to the consumer.

Another option, reduce drug costs by changing patient laws. Currently, a drug company will spend billions of dollars developing a drug. But the process of testing, documenting, and licensing drugs is so long they have only about 7 years to recoup that cost before the drug loses its protection and generic makers, who do not have a high research cost to recoup,  can make it at a fraction of the cost of the name brand. But, if we were to expand the patient protection, require a small royalty for the researching company, or a combination of the two, the financial pressure is eased. With more time to recoup costs, drug companies do not have to charge as high a price for their products.

A third option that can be done is to focus on the excessive costs of training and equipping a medical professional. Currently, a doctor takes out a gargantuan amount of debt in order to go through medical school. They have to pay this debt back and it takes years, even at their pay rates. Same thing with nurses and many technicians. And the costs of some of the equipment, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc, is astronomical. But, if we make changes in how we train and equip medical professionals, we can lower this burden. I do not have any particular proposals that really get my heart racing, but a creative approach like apprenticeships, programs to start students at lower level technician jobs and working up to a medical doctor, a federal teaching school modeled after Bethesda Naval Hospital or Walter Reed Army Hospital but for civilians, business tax credits for the manufacture or purchase of diagnostic equipment, or even direct government support for medical research tied to providing care to the public are all places to start. There is a lot that can be done that does not require the government taking over an industry.

In short, I think the benefits of a nationalized healthcare system, with its accompanying government bureaucracy, are more than outweighed by the negative impacts to patient care and cost. I think that there are plenty of other things that can and should be done to lower costs and improve service that can and should be done. These proposals, like the three I laid out above, I think can reduce costs to consumers, thus making it more available, while at the same time insuring reasonable economic success for medical practitioners, drug manufacturers, and equipment makers. There is a win-win scenario out there, if we are willing to make patient, thoughtful steps and focus on the problem (high cost of service) as opposed to symptoms (people not seeking the medical care they need).

Answer 2

For those who dislike the "right" way of thinking, the government is'nt supposed to provide squat. Ultimately, we the taxpayers do. Do you really want most of your paycheck going to pay for the health of sleaze bags who don't/won't work? Canadians seem to be ok with it, but I am not.

Answer 3

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Answer 4

Look at the system in the USA right now.

Despite spending more money on healthcare PER PERSON than any other country in the world, the USA has one of the highest death rates for kids aged under five in the western world.

Is it right that dead American kids would have had a better chance of life if born in Canada?

Answer 5

The Big Box discount store does list public health clinics and those hospitals offering emergency room health care information on their web sites for their employees to contact when they get ill.

It would be my preference that the Big Box discount store pays a living wage, with benefits, to their workers. It is unfair that we all have to subsidize the Big Box discount store brand of capitalism. After all, Big Box gets to use their profits to donate money to their political causes.

Answer 6

Yes ..education=below average

social security=failing

medicare/medicaid=failing

post office? going to be privatized

the government can't run anything like AMTRAK without losing money..the Universal Health Plan was Hilary Clinton's idea but Obama adopted it..it is full of holes..but most socialistic programs fail miserably

Answer 7

People like the idea because its purpose is to provide Free Health Care to all. The government would not run it as proposed but would pay for it and therefore free up the funds for other cooler things we want like cell phones and new cars.  It is a proven fact that today cell phones have become a necessity and it's too difficult to pay for them and health care too. The more free **** the government is willing to pay for the easier it is to buy the things we want. That is the main reason. Of course, if the government pays for it that means that we, the people, pay for it ultimately in higher taxes but who cares about that ha ha.

Answer 8

Health is wealth. Any government worth its name, need to take care of the people and keep them healthy.

Answer 9

palbo _as  

As you seem aware of Medicaid could you explain it to george l and his ilk.

Government does not pay anything; we the taxpayers do.

I for one would like a say in how my taxes are spent.

I feel that making our nation stronger is top priority; by that I mean healthy and well educated citizens. Everyones health condition starts at birth. You can't wait till Johnny or Jane are enlisted to correct things. So in order to have a well functioning military one must start with healthy educated populace. (unless you are just looking for bodies for target practice)

another thing are we talking federal or state government?

our school system is run by the states; maybe those for state rule can explain why it doesn't work well .

as for SSI failing ,well a healthcare system that would encompass the elderly maybe the solution.That would also go for Medicaid. We don't yet have a universal healthcare, however our government pays out more than other countries do.  

The post office is a dinosaur like the old typewriter.

it has nothing to do with government.

Why do I think Universal Healthcare would be just wonderful?

because it would be.

What is your solution?

Answer 10

Because our constitution guarantees us "Life".No Health. No Life.

Insurance companies are in business to Make Money Not take Care of You. That's why they let some people Die. "It isn't profitable too cure anything""No return business!" (George Carlin). The government runs education the way they do so that Americans can become the Dumbest on the planet, and easier too control. Except when it comes too taking tests. We kick *** on stupid tests.

So truly it comes down to we need to be involved and provide ourselves with better government by calling people on their Lies.

Answer 11

Two groups of people favor universal health care.  Liberal Democrats want it because they want the power.  Liberals want government to control everything.

Freeloaders want it because they are looking for something for free.  They who don't work, don't pay taxes so they won't have to pay for their health care.

Answer 12

some people think all good ideas are free and have no problems, they are usually the lazy ones without  jobs

Answer 13

because its been proven to increase the life expectancy of a country and its cheaper then privatized health care

Answer 14

You will find if you talk to enough people. They do not want the goverment giving them anything. What they want is acsess to affordable healthcare. Keyword here affordable. I'm sure many people are very happy with the plan they have with their employer or even those who pay own their own.

Yet there are those who can not afford to pay $300 plus a month for basic coverage for a family plan. Just look at the price of groceries, gas, having electric, auto insurance. I have seen all of these rise but my pay hasn't. My insurance went up also and it covers less. I am still making it. My belief is that every American should have be able to recieve the same level of care.

Answer 15

People like the idea because its purpose is to provide Health Care to all.  The government would not run it as proposed but would pay for it.  That is the main reason.  Of course, if the government pays for it that means that we, the people, pay for it ultimately in higher taxes but who cares about that ha ha.