‭“The healthcare in the U.

S”‬

I‭NTRODUCTION:‬‭As far back as the beginning of the 1900s, President‬

‭Theodore Roosevelt once said that “Nothing can be more important to a state‬
‭than its public health: the state’s paramount concern should be the health of‬
‭its people” (Gallup and Newport 135)‬‭.‬‭Many people claim that the United‬
‭States is classified as the nation with the most expensive healthcare system‬
‭due to its‬‭technological advances and futuristic medical innovations. Despite‬
‭these,‬‭the majority of Americans are greatly dissatisfied with the current‬
‭healthcare system which is prohibitively expensive and highly inefficient. As‬
‭an expensive healthcare system may lead to an increasing proportion of the‬
‭population being unable to access the much needed medical care.‬‭In this‬
‭essay, I strongly believe that completely universal or free healthcare is the‬
‭best for society since health is the greatest asset of a nation.‬
‭ aragraph 1 - Free Health Care Leads To A Healthier Nation‬
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‭+ Free health care would result in‬‭a healthier nation‬‭because people can visit‬
‭the doctors whenever they need.‬

‭ Research by Wisk et al. showed that both middle and lower class families‬
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‭were suffering from the high cost of health care.‬

‭ Some families avoid going to the doctor when they are sick due to the high‬
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‭cost of visiting the doctor and the insurance of health care.‬

‭ In cases they have to visit the doctor, they often tend to not follow‬
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‭prescriptions strictly to reduce cost.‬

‭+ This may be detrimental to a person’s health and cost more in the long run.‬

‭Paragraph 2 - Free Healthcare Prevents Medical Bankruptcy‬

‭+ Free health care could prevent medical bankruptcy.‬

‭ A study in June 2022 found that the US could have saved $105.6 billion in‬
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‭COVID-19 hospitalization costs with single-payer universal health care during‬
‭the pandemic.‬

‭+ This shows that universal health care could be a financially viable option.‬

‭ It can protect people from the devastating financial impact because of‬
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‭serious illness.‬

‭ The potential to prevent medical bankruptcy is a strong argument for free‬

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‭health care.‬
‭ aragraph 3 - Free healthcare represents the principle of universal‬
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‭access‬

‭ Free health care should be taken into consideration because of the principle‬
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‭of universal access.‬

‭ The World Health Organization (WHO) states that “everyone should have‬
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‭access to the health services they need without being forced into poverty‬
‭when paying for them” (WHO, 2010).‬

‭ ‬‭With this, every citizen, regardless of their socio-economic background, can‬

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‭have proper access to health services at a minimal cost or no cost at all.‬

‭ This principle is currently not met in the US, where healthcare costs are a‬
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‭leading cause of bankruptcy.‬

‭ Implementing free health care could ensure that everyone has access to‬
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‭necessary medical care.‬

‭Counter-Argument - High cost of implementing free health care‬

‭+ Critics believe that free health care could increase taxes as the government‬
‭would need to fund these services.‬
‭+ According to a report from the Mercatus Center, a Medicare-for-all plan can‬
‭cost about $32.6 trillion over 10 years.‬

‭Refute - The potential for cost savings‬

‭ While it’s true that free health care would require significant funding, it’s‬
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‭important to consider the potential of cost savings.‬

‭ A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that transitioning to a‬

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‭single-payer system could save over $600 billion each year on administrative‬
‭costs alone.‬

‭ The current medical system has already involved significant public‬

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‭spending.‬

‭ Government sources account for nearly half of all health care spending in‬
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‭the US.‬