Should the Federal Government Provide Health Care for All Citizens Who Cannot Afford Their Own?
SHOULD THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL CITIZENS WHO CANNOT AFFORD THEIR OWN?
Health care is not a privilege. In fact, a good level and quality on healthcare should be an inalienable right for all people. Social class, status or economic situation shouldn’t dictate who live and enjoy of good health or who doesn’t. Healthcare in America should be universal, continuous, and affordable to all individuals and families. Although some of the states in the US are taking unilateral measures not to focus exclusively on the poor, but seeks to guarantee health access to any uninsured people, achieving universal coverage will require federal leadership and support, regardless of which strategy is adopted to achieve this goal.
The president and Congress should strive to achieve universal health coverage in the United States by 2010, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The escalating costs of the current situation call for prompt action, the report says. And the question of how much responsibility the U.S. government should take for the health care of its citizens is a controversial one. “For those who can afford it we have the best health-care system in the world.. However, the United states is the only major industrialized country that does not guarantee every citizen, regardless of income, access to affordable health care.” (Kerry, 123) And for middle-class families which include the gross of US population, the problem is even worst since they don’t qualify for any kind of public-assistance programs. .
Consequences of Lack of Universal Healthcare: The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in its report documents the consequences of lack of health insurance. Among the findings, these reports noted that: 1. Uninsured Americans get about half the medical care of those with health insurance. As a result, they tend to be sicker and to die sooner
Health care is not a privilege. In fact, a good level and quality on healthcare should be an inalienable right for all people. Social class, status or economic situation shouldn’t dictate who live and enjoy of good health or who doesn’t. Healthcare in America should be universal, continuous, and affordable to all individuals and families. Although some of the states in the US are taking unilateral measures not to focus exclusively on the poor, but seeks to guarantee health access to any uninsured people, achieving universal coverage will require federal leadership and support, regardless of which strategy is adopted to achieve this goal.
The president and Congress should strive to achieve universal health coverage in the United States by 2010, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The escalating costs of the current situation call for prompt action, the report says. And the question of how much responsibility the U.S. government should take for the health care of its citizens is a controversial one. “For those who can afford it we have the best health-care system in the world.. However, the United states is the only major industrialized country that does not guarantee every citizen, regardless of income, access to affordable health care.” (Kerry, 123) And for middle-class families which include the gross of US population, the problem is even worst since they don’t qualify for any kind of public-assistance programs. .
Consequences of Lack of Universal Healthcare: The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in its report documents the consequences of lack of health insurance. Among the findings, these reports noted that: 1. Uninsured Americans get about half the medical care of those with health insurance. As a result, they tend to be sicker and to die sooner
Cited: Barlett, D. and Steele, J. Health Care Can Be Cured: Here’s How. Newsweek, October 11, 2004 50 - 53 Gardner, A Kerry, John. A call to Service. New York: Viking, 2003. Kotlikoff, Laurence J. The Healthcare Fix: Universal Insurance for all Americans. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2007 Le Bow, R. Health Care Meltdown: Confronting the myths and fixing our failing system. Chambersburg, PA: Alan C. Hood & Company, Inc. 2003. Mueller, R. As sick as it gets: the shocking reality of America’s healthcare. New York. Dunkirk, 2001 Raffel, M Strosberg, M., Wiener, J., & Baker, R. Rationing America’s medical care: the Oregon Plan and beyond. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 1992.