Healthcare has been a controversial and dividing topic ever since 1912, when Teddy Roosevelt endorsed health care and insurance as part of their platform for the presidential election. Since then, it has only become more controversial and divisive however with universal healthcare becoming more and more common all over. The most notable division currently concerning healthcare is universal free healthcare vs. private healthcare, and which is better for the nation as a whole.
In times like these, however, it is clear that America must shift to a more universal healthcare stance than ever before. This shift has become more necessary than it has been in the past because of ongoing pandemics, pox’s, and natural disasters occuring at what appears to be an increasingly rapid rate.
Every year, around 26,000 Americans die because of poor healthcare or lack of healthcare altogether. Between 2000 and 2006 it is estimated that 162,000 Americans died because of this lack of healthcare. With the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the country these past few years, even more people have died due to the ongoing issues with healthcare availability in the states. This means that universal health care could save thousands of lives in less than a single year and hundreds of thousands over the course of a few short years in the foreseeable future.
It isn’t just those who die because of lack of healthcare who have their lives negatively affected. People who face crippling debt due to lack of healthcare and poor healthcare are much more common and nearly equally damaging. The average hospital visit cost $12,370 in 2021 without insurance, this increased substantially if the visit required lifesaving surgery or something of that realm. The average price of an inpatient day was nearly $3,000 this year. Collectively the medical debt in the United States is over $195 billion, which is very high for a developed nation of Americas size.
There is also a significant sample size that proves that Universal Health Care can work for all types of countries, from large to small, as long as they are developed and have the available funds. The United Kingdom even had universal healthcare all the way dating back to 1948 before the Great Depression even started. Other notable allies and countries under America's protection like our neighbors to the north Canada, Japan, and South Korea also have much more affordable and universal healthcare available to all their citizens. It is also no coincidence that these countries happen to have a higher average life expectancy than America and are overall known for better health.
As mentioned earlier, readily available funds are important for running a universal healthcare program. This is because running a universal healthcare system in America would cost around $149 billion more than the current annual budget. This should be a relatively small amount to pay to prevent thousands from dying and billions of dollars in debt for citizens to bear.
It is important to still allow for those with privatized healthcare to use their healthcare though, whether an employer offers it or it is through their own personal funds.