The Pros and Cons of Universal Healthcare

Universal healthcare is a healthcare system that is funded by the tax-payer, administered by the government and designed to replace the current privately administered and owned system the United States uses. Universal healthcare is a hotly debated subject right now.

There are several reasons moving to a universal health care system could have positive effects on the country. There are currently an estimated 40 million uninsured Americans. According to the government accounting office, the universal healthcare system will provide enough savings to ensure all Americans have access to health insurance. Doctors will become salaried employees, making at least as much as they do now. With a universal healthcare system, there will only be one set of insurance forms. All bills from doctors offices will go to one place, no more billing multiple insurance agency's, leaving doctors free to practice medicine, not administration. It will be easy to develop a centralized database to be used as a resource for diagnosis and treatment by doctors. As final benefit of the universal healthcare system, people are more likely to participate in preventive medical measures such as yearly physicals, which are often avoided under the current system due to oppressive costs.

Opponents of the universal healthcare system have several concerns about its implementation. First is the cost. The funding for the new system would most likely come from further taxation or a mandatory premium, which will place a strain on many Americans budgets. Additionally, the federal government does not seemed to be any better equipped to administer a healthcare system then the private sector is. The government will be exposing itself to legal liabilities as they are likely to face malpractice suits. Patient/doctor flexibility will become limited if the government mandates procedures. Finally, with a centralized system, our health records and other pertinent personal information will be administered by the government, leading to the possibility of a likely confidentiality breach.

It is difficult to accurately assess the effects a universal healthcare system would have in the United States. What seems like a benefit to one person is a negative to another. Proponents make a big deal out of the fact that every American will have access to health care; opponents look at this as a negative, why should they, through a system of taxation or prorated premiums, pay for anyone else's health care? Over the next few years, there is sure to be a shift away from the current system. Perhaps the two sides of this raging debate can come to a comfortable middle ground, allowing everyone to benefit from health insurance without sacrifices choice, confidentiality or patient flexibility.

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