The annual survey from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has shown that the United States has much higher expendatures on on its health care than many other developed countries. However, The United States has a higher rate of obesity than many other nations, is currently ranked 26th in life expectancy out of 34 OECD countries, has a rather high infant mortality rate for a developed country, and has a higher percentage of citizens who currently have a prescription for pharmacuticals than many other nations. As well, the United States is one of the only developed, Western countries that does not have a universal health care system in place for its citizens. Through our discussion in class today, we all seemed to come to a unanomous decision that free health care would not work in America but why?
Many citizens of the United States are against the idea of a universal health care system because they believe it would result in a large increase in taxes. However, as we saw in the documentary, there are indeed numerous countries that have this sort of health care system and still have an affordable cost of living. Additonally, many American citizens have an ideal of being independent and self-made. Thus, many are opposed to the idea of having the taxes of others pay for their operations, and would prefer to actually possess the necesary funds themselves. However, there are those who either believe that this standard should be universal in this country, or simply desire to hoard their own funds in preparation for some unforseen medical expense within their own family, and therefore do not want their own tax money to pay towards the health expenses of others. However, a very common argument for the institution of a free, universal health care is that many citizens who lack the necessary funds for such expenses medical procedures and will thusly be unprepared in the event of a medical crisis. Also, if health care was free then those citizens would be able to not be as impoverished and such. What do you think?
I think that the US healthcare is a horrible system and should at the very least be renamed because it is laughable to say that the insurance company cares about health more than their money. I think people fail to realize that if free healthcare was put in place yes they would pay more taxes, but they would save more money in the long run. The current system is like spending dollars to save pennies. Additionally people are resistant to change, especially if they have mostly been told the negative consequences. I think it is a shame that Americans fail to share their wealth in a way that they wouldn't even notice. yes you pay more taxes but in the end you don't really have to think about it you just do pay taxes. We have taxes on practically everything, I am sure that if we raised all (not even all maybe only half or less) of the taxes by a tiny percentage and cut some spending in other areas (cough cough weapons and army cough cough) we could put nationwide free healthcare into action and still not think about it AND not have to worry about "how am i going to pay for this" instead of "am i going to be okay from this"
ReplyDeleteWell first of all, the documentary completely failed to ever show exactly how much these other countries pay in taxes, that would correlate to a typical american's price for healthcare. Also the quality of healthcare that we receive in the U.S. far advances the quality of healthcare in these other countries. Now while free universal healthcare may initially seem like the solution to many of our problems, it seems to me like in the U.S. too many people would take advantage of this system, and it would turn into a "robin hood" system. I mean this in the sense that those who do not or cannot afford to pay taxes would be receiving "duty-free" healthcare with this system, in other words they would not be paying the taxes that ultimately go toward paying for the health services they would be receiving, and those who make higher incomes would be paying more toward the "healthcare tax" that they would never see again. By this it becomes a stealing from the rich to give to the poor, which is an unjust and corrupted system.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Renee. However, ever since the Red Scare Americans have been bred to immediately oppose anything that remotely seems related to communism (such as government organized healthcare). Many Americans fail to realize how much the government already controls their lives. We are also a nation that has grown up with the ideology to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and take care of yourself or suffer the consequences. No one said that this was a nice or fair way of doing things, but many people are already struggling so much with debt that the thought of having to pay more taxes in order to take care of someone else that is sick scares them, even though it would ultimately benefit them and their families in the long run.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is that our cost of living is higher than our minimum wage. I'm sure in Canada, France, and Cuba there are more regulated and fair ways that the governments distribute money to the nations workers and elderly instead of just letting corporations keep all the profits and letting their employees wither away in poverty and illness.
Also, Hannah, I believe that the top 1% of the country can afford to stop hoarding the nation's wealth and disperse it to other needy people in order to save lives and balance out the system. Their lamborghinis might not get a new sound system and they might not get to buy another mansion that year, but I think they'll live.
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