Health care is a right to all no matter age, race, class status, or sexuality.
People deserve access to health care as a means of a human right. Universal Health Care is a system that provides quality medical services to all citizens. The United States is considered to be one of the most successful countries in the world. It has the largest military, the largest economy, freedom of speech and religion, and of course the American dream. Yet there is one thing most people seem to forget? The United States of America, one of the most dominant forces in the world, is also the only westernized industrial nation without a Universal Health Care system. To many, accessible health care by means is a feud between life and death.
Our current system is flawed. According to the Census Bureau there are approximately 47 million Americans without health insurance, or nearly 16% of the total population. (Nations Health). This means that a substantial amount of residents do not have access to any form of health care coverage for themselves or their family. The United States is currently ranked 26th in life expectancy, and this may be due to the fact that most U.S citizens cannot afford the proper healthcare. Therefore, the United States should adopt universal health care because coverage should be viewed as a basic human necessity, providing all citizens the right to health care is helpful for economic productivity, and it could allow the government to focus on more beneficial funding.The right to health care is internationally recognized as a human right.
On December 10, 1948 the United States and 47 other nations signed The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document sets out fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Article 25 states, ” Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” A right to simple health care means that the government is morally obligated to do all within its power to ensure essential medical care is obtainable and affordable to all.
No one should have to suffer or die from a treatable disease because they simply cannot afford the coverage needed. The Declaration of Independence also clearly provides support for a right to health care. The document states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Which necessarily entails that having health care is evident to preserve life and pursue happiness.A strong reason one would promote Universal Health Care is the positive effects it has on the economy, both long term and immediate results. First and foremost many citizens would gain previously unavailable access to medical care which could save countless numbers of lives, and ameliorate the overall health of the public. In the United States, people are 33% less likely to have a regular doctor, 25% more likely to have unmet health needs, and over 50% more likely to not obtain needed medicines compared to other countries who have a universal right to healthcare.
When people have easy access to health care they live healthier lives and tend to miss work less often. According to an Institute of Medical report, the economy loses between $65-$130 billion yearly as a result of diminished work productivity, due to poor health. The United States spends more on health care per person than any other developed advanced nation such as Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. How come Americans get less health care, yet spend more for it? Other countries have used their funding to properly allocate their resources and put it to universal health care, while the U.
S uses expensive medical technology and prices for health care services (The Common Wealth Fund). Americans receive the most diagnostic imaging exams, including MRIs, CT scans, and PET exams than in any other nation, necessarily it’s not like we are making greater use, but we are paying more for the things we do use (The Common Wealth Fund). Prescription drugs are most expensive in the U.S. This is because the cost of a universal system are less than a private system. Meaning drugs can be purchased in greater bulk, and prices for services can be negotiated for a lower rate due to the large singular system reducing the fixed cost involved in processing insurance and medical services.
Some may argue that with a universal health care system in place taxes would need to be raised, and many Americans could be unpropitious to their taxed earnings paying for the health care of someone who does not work at all. Those individuals fail to realize not everyone is born with the same circumstances as others. There are areas in this country which lack proper education, leaving the children in those low poverty areas to believe that have a less possibility to be successful than those in richer areas. Everyone deserves the same opportunity in life. In a system that privileges capitalism and rugged individualism, little room remains for sompassion and love in this society.
