Americans Agree to Support Universal Healthcare

Universal health care is an initiative of social democracies that has proven successful elsewhere, as in Britain and France. Under a nation-wide health care system, every citizen would be given the right to guaranteed health insurance to help alleviate the high costs of medical bills. The trade-off, and often the paramount concern of universal health care's opponents, is that taxes must be raised to generate the funds to accomplish such a task.

In a NY Times/CBS news poll, a majority of Americans agreed that they would support the implementation of a plan to provide health insurance to every citizen. In fact, our fellow countrymen are so supportive of the proposed measure that they would continue their advocation of the plan even if it meant raising taxes up to 500 dollars per year².

Health insurance is vital to American citizens, since those who go without insurance usually are forced to pay even more than the insured on medical bills. This disingenuous fact reveals the trap that many poor members of our national community are faced with, a trap that places the already needy into insurmountable debt when they seek medical assistance. Impoverished citizens must chose between costly health insurance or groceries, and insurance is unfortunately trumped by the need for sustenance and daily survival. When the millions that cannot afford insurance meet with an unforeseen problem that prompts the need for medical help, they require treatment in too hasty a time to consider economic consequences. Since the uninsured will take more time to pay off medical bills, hospitals and care centers actually charge them more. As if not having insurance was insufficient punishment, the impoverished uninsured are trapped under debt that is inescapable. Hospitals feel no sympathy for these unlucky millions, because many merely do not pay the facility's fees.

According to the Times, health insurance for all has usurped the public interest, surpassing immigration, values initiatives, and tax cuts, as the predominant domestic concern. Certainly this is reasonable, given America's history of providing for the needy, from the New Deal onward. It makes further sense that our fellow countrymen would want to look out for themselves, in case an expensive medical emergency takes place in the future, rather than bickering over gay marriage and tax breaks that only affect the rich.

Overall, the early support from presidential candidates and the American public reveals a virtuous dedication to aiding our community and ourselves with protection for our physical well-being. Health plans vary between each individual campaigner, but what seems clear from the bipartisan support is that the United States is ready and waiting for universal health care.

¹Robin Toner and Janet Elder, "Most Support U.S. Guarantee of Health Plans." New York Times. URL:
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/washington/02poll.html?hp)