Universal Health Care in America

Everyone knows America doesn't have a perfect health care system. No one does. But to say that universal health care will automatically solve all our problems is an uninformed answer to one of the most important debate topics of the 21st century.

Yet, I do not hear "let's talk about it." No, I hear "We need this now! Now! Now!" Yes, people are dying due to lack of health insurance, but Congress' plan doesn't even take effect until 2014¹, so why not have debate? If we institute a system that is hastily developed not only will we pay more, but more people will fall through the cracks. Meaning they'll die.

Let's take a step back and look at things objectively. Let's address the issues, not pander to the parties. Moreover, let's stop the scare tactics and look at the facts.

However, before we can attend to the strengths and weaknesses of the bill, we need to know who it is affecting. People in Congress scream "46 million people are uninsured!" but is that a true statement? On the surface it appears 46 million people are uninsured, but once you look deeper you realize the truth behind these misconceptions.

Of the 46 million people uninsured, 10 million are illegal immigrants who are not eligible for the health care². An additional 18 million make 50K or more per year and can afford health insurance³. That's a total of 28 million who are either ineligible or can afford it so far. But that's not all! 14 million more are qualified to receive government health insurance already⁴!

To be fair, some people overlap in these three groups, but the total amount of people who are uninsured in America is about 3% of the population or 10 million people⁴. You may still think that is bad, but anyone who uses the "46 million" crutch is simply using scare tactics.

Now that we have the correct number of people who are uninsured, let's talk about the reality of universal health care. Even as a conservative I must admit at face value the concept seems noble. No more people dying in the streets due to lack of insurance. I can picture the utopia of illness being nonexistent.

Then reality kicks in and I see the truth behind the lies. Universal health care is not "free" because your taxes pay for it. That's common sense. So you'd think that if you pay for it in taxes you wouldn't have to pay for it out-of-pocket. Except you'd be wrong!

The countries of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland all of have 2 things in common. One: they all have universal health care. Two: in every one of these countries more people pay health care costs out-of-pocket than America⁵. What does that mean? They're hit with a double-payment, one in taxes and one in out-of-pocket expenses.

Furthermore, it would give government power beyond their wildest dreams. Some people may advocate for this, but I assure you it is not good. For example, they may create something known as a death panel. Sarah Palin was ridiculed for suggesting this may happen⁶, but it is nonetheless true.

Where is my proof? In the British universal health care system. There is an organization known as "NICE" or the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence that literally puts a price on life⁷.

How much would you say a human life is worth? A million dollars? Priceless? Not according to NICE, which puts the value at $3,792 per month⁷. One cent over that and they can leave you for dead without treatment.

Yet, some people are still willing to deal with the costs and violated liberties of universal health care so long as they get better coverage. They're willing to pay more as long as everyone is covered.

Even a conservative like me could see some logic in that. If it helps more people, and is better than our current system, why not give it a try? But it isn't better than our current system.

Here are some little-known facts about our "horrific" health care system. We have more MRI and CT scanners than Canada, France, and the UK...combined⁸, the Nobel Prize for medicine went to someone in the US over 84% of the time in the past 43 years⁹, and even if you can't afford insurance, you can still get antibiotics at Wal-Mart or Meijer for the low price of free¹⁰! Who says American health care isn't proficient?

Not only is our care better than any universal health care system, but universal health care isn't even working! For example, the "target" wait time for patients to see doctors in the UK is four hours. Too bad they couldn't even hit that. They force patients to wait in ambulances outside of hospitals until they have enough room to take them in. Why? Because the four-hour target doesn't start until the person steps foot in the hospital¹¹.

Then, when you finally get into the hospital, you are forced to wait another five hours before being admitted! They take you up to the very end of the four-hour timer and admitt you at the last second¹². This is because they get a one-thousand dollar incentive for every patient they admit within the four-hour time period.

Enough with the UK, let's go to Cuba. Cuba has been credited with having a great health care system by sources such as Michael Moore and CNN^{13 14} . You'd think it would have great health care with so many "reputable" sources voicing their enthusiasm for it. And according to some it does.

On the surface such fantastic statistics as an infant-mortality rate of 4.7 out of every 1000 would indicate that it does have a superior system¹⁵. But once you look closer, you realize that it is just a façade built on misinformation, lies, and propaganda.

What is the lie in this? How could they possibly falsify these facts? By their perception of life. They believe that abortions done even on late-term pregnancies are not considered "deaths." Therefore they commit forced abortions on women at the first sign of trouble with virtually no restrictions. The abortions are done even if the woman is unwilling¹⁶!

What should you take from this article? I would hope that I have convinced you that universal health care isn't the best system in the world, but at the very least I wish for one thing: debate. Both sides claim that their opinion is correct, and may give reputable sources and information, but are never willing to take the extra step and listen to the other side. This isn't something that should be decided upon in a day, a week, or even a couple months. We need time and have time, so take the time to really dig deeper. If you conclude universal health care is better, so be it, but be sure you truly believe it. Because the decisions we make today will affect others long after we're dead and gone.

1:http://www.politico.com/livepulse/1109/Major_reforms_delayed_until_2014.html
2:The Unreported Good News About America (Washington DC: Regnery, 2008): 186
3:http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p60-235.pdf
4:http://www.coverageforall.org/pdf/BC-BS_Uninsured-America.pdf
5:http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/5/53/22364122.pdf
6:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/08/08/2009-08-08_sarah_palin_facebook_posting_claims_obama_health_care_would_create_a_death_panel.html
7:http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/03/05/uk-says-tykerb-isnt-worth-cost-even-with-12-free-weeks
8:http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,3343,en_2649_34631_2085200_1_1_1_1,00.html
9:http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/
10:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/30/AR2008123002834.html
11:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1112207/Four-hour-wait-lifesaving-ambulance-trip.html
12:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-515332/A-E-patients-left-ambulances-FIVE-hours-trusts-meet-government-targets.html
13:http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/cubas_healthcare_a_model_for_t.html
14:http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA557_Cuban_Health_Care.html
15:http://www.periodico26.cu/english/health/jan2009/infant-mortality010309.html
16:http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=3568278