Define Universal Health Care

In 2009, the United States is in the midst of a heated debate about the need for health care reform. One of the most debated aspects is how to ensure medical coverage for all Americans, regardless of age, sex or income.  In some countries, this is provided by a plan called Universal Health Care, and many people believe America should adopt this plan too.

Define Universal Health Care

The term ‘universal health care’ means that every individual has basic coverage for medical, dental and mental health needs. Providing this coverage will require an overhaul of the medical industry to provide medical services at a cost within the range of the average citizen.

History of Universal Health Care

Universal health care in its first form began in Germany in the late 1800’s. Shortly thereafter, Great Britain instituted its own form of universal health care for its citizens. Although the exact form of universal health care has changed over time, it is provided in some form by every industrialized nation in the world except the United States. Universal health care has been recognized as a basic human right and was defined as such in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document was drafted shortly after World War II and voted on by the United Nations. The United States chose not to ratify the social and economic sections of the declaration that covered health care. Since that time, health care in the United States has been treated as a privilege for those that could afford the costs of care, instead of a basic right of citizen. Rising costs of health care have forced people to choose between food, rent and medical care. 

Social Programs Available

Most states have programs such as Medicaid to help with the costs of health care for families that have very low incomes. Even with programs such as these, which are available only to those of low or no income, many don’t seek treatment on a regular basis. Experts have stated that regular checkups and monitoring of a person’s health can significantly reduce the overall cost of medical treatment for disease and provide a better chance of recovery.

Current Insurance Accessibility

Most American’s that have insurance, obtain it through their employer. While some employer’s offer full coverage to their higher-level employee’s, most employees must pay a part of the health insurance premium costs by payroll deductions. The amount required by the employee ranges from a small percentage of the premium to the full premium depending on company policy. Not all employers offer health care insurance to their employees. The only alternative left to the employee then is to purchase it privately at their own expense. The cost of private insurance has become so prohibitively high most families can’t afford it. People are left back in the position of choosing between the basic needs of food, shelter and health care. A single trip to the Emergency Room of your local hospital can cost upwards of $500 and typically ends up being over $1000. Medical costs have continued to rise over the past decades and are continuing to rise at approximately three times the rate of inflation. The net effect is that the average individual or family is facing a health care bill that is rising faster than their income increases even if it is seeing a cost of living raise each year.

Dilemma of Obtaining Medical Care

Regardless of whether you are poor middle class, the only people that seem to be immune to the high cost of health care are the extremely wealthy. A single accident, injury or disease can effectively ruin a family’s financial situation. Even those that have insurance will face the out of pocket expenses and co-payments for all the treatments that are required. These can amount to thousands of dollars. In today’s society, most families don’t have enough savings to take those expenses in stride without sacrificing other needs and goals.