Health Care Reform

Of all the developed nations in the world, the United States is amongst the few that does not guarantee
universal health coverage for its citizens. On March 23rd 2010, The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was
signed into law. The ACA expanded and improved health care in numerous ways, from protecting against
discrimination to decreasing health care spending. However there are still millions of people in this
country who do not have health insurance. These people live worrying about the possibility of one of a
loved one falling ill. Without health insurance, getting help would be extremely difficult for these
families. The United States government should ensure health care for everyone regardless of
socioeconomic class because health care is a human right, Americas health care system falls behind other
countries, and it would be affordable.
It is a human right to have health care. Everyone should have access to anything that can prolong their
life. Humans have the right to health, everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical
and mental health ( What Is the). Everyone should be able to have whatever they need to be able to keep
themselves healthy. Health insurance is one of the most important resources regarding a persons life.
Because of this, everyone should have it. A study by the American Journal of Public Health states,
Nearly 45,000 annual deaths are associated with lack of health insurance (Cecere). Many people die
every year simply because they dont have access to health care. That is completely unfair. Perhaps they
are not able to pay for the costs of the hospital. But that does not mean that they should have to risk death.
Lack of health coverage should not be the reason why a person isnt able to live a wholesome life.
Another analysis shows us that there is a 60 percent greater risk of a major decline in health for
continuously uninsured persons (Institute of Medicine). Without easy accessibility to health care, the
quality of a persons life will decrease. It has been proven. People without health care are at a much
greater risk of facing health issues in the span of their lifetime. Everyone should be rewarded with the best

chance at a long and prosperous life. They deserve to have health insurance. It is our right, as Americans,
to be granted the right to a healthy life. The United States must give everyone health insurance.
In comparison to other counties, Americas health care system is subpar. Europe, for example,
has universal health care which ensures all of its citizens. Americas current health care system cant even
compare to that. As stated by the World Health Organization, the United States ranks 37th in terms of
health system performance and we are far behind many other countries in terms of such important indices
as infant mortality, life expectancy and preventable deaths (Sanders). America is one of the greatest
developed countries in the world, so the fact that we are ranking 37th in health care is mind blowing. If the
United States wants to achieve a higher ranking on the scale of health care systems, then it must ensure
everyone with health coverage. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the United States of
America is the most powerful, most innovative, and richest nation the planet has ever known (Reid 28).
America is the richest country yet cannot accommodate its people. Currently, the United States charges
higher fees accompanied by inadequate care. In many ways, other countries have better health care
systems. Not only is health coverage at a low cost, but everyone has access to it as well. This is a lot
better than how America is doing in terms of health insurance, so the United States should start looking at
how health coverage is in higher ranking countries. The United States has the most expensive health care
policy in the world, however underperforms compared to other countries (Mirror). America ranks 1st in
terms of having the most expensive healthcare, however it doesnt rank first for having the best
healthcare. If the U.S. is spending so much on healthcare it does not make sense that there are still people
in this country who dont have health insurance. America should grant everyone health coverage,
especially at a lower cost, if it wants to be on the same level as other developed countries.
If everyone had health care, it would be affordable. If we look at the Affordable Care Act
(ACA), we will see that coverage costed less than anticipated, therefore if the U.S. gave everyone health
care, the cost would not be expensive. The ACA does not cost health centers or their providers anything

(Health Center). The places that are part of the latest health care act are not charged anything extra. They
would have nothing to lose if everyone could have health coverage. Also, Obamacare has been running
well under budget, as healthcare costs in general have been a pleasant surprise. In 2008, the Congressional
Budget Office forecast that annual Medicare costs would rise to $759 billion by 2018. Last year they
revised that forecast down to $574 billion, 24 percent less than the original forecast. Other reimbursement
reforms in the legislation, although not strictly part of Obamacare, have been big money savers (Morris).
The fact that the Affordable Care Act has cost much less than what was predicted is a sign that health care
reform does not increase costs. It will actually help costs. Because of Obamacare, Medicare costs
forecasted $200 billion less than before the law was signed into place. Now, Medicaid and CHIP provide
free or low-cost coverage to millions of people and families with limited income, disabilities, and some
other situations (4 Health). The ACA even made medicare free for many people. If everyone in America
who needed healthcare but were not able to afford it got it for free, lives would be transformed. It is a
great plus that it would not cost too much money for everyone to be able to have health insurance.
Some people argue that a right to health insurance will increase debt, or that the wait to actually
obtain insurance will be long. These people think that the U.S. will spend a lot on health care, and that
health care for all will have everyone in the hospital. However, these arguments are not very good ones.
Not only has Obamacare cost less than expected, we are also a wealthy enough country with the capacity
to make sure that every one of our fellow citizens has access to quality health care (Harasim). The
United States has a abundance of income. We also spend a lot on healthcare, and ensuring health care for
all will not increase debt. Recently, an analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services said
that, as of the early months of 2015, an estimated 16.4 million people have gained coverage(Furman).
Even though the ACA has not given everyone health care, a lot of people have gained coverage. After
these people have gained coverage, there has not been a noticeable difference in wait times in doctors,
hospitals, etc. If we dont have health care for all because some people are skeptical, those who dont

have access to health care will always have to live with a level of fear about their futures that cannot
even be fathomed by others. Everything is at risk if someone they love becomes seriously hurt or ill.
Those without health insurance are Americas second class citizens, regardless of education, age,
gender, race, or religious convictions. They are at the bottom of the totem pole, and they know it
(Lavidge). People without coverage live difficult lives filled with uncertainty. Anyone who argues against
health care for all has obviously not been in these peoples position. America cant leave these people
behind.
America should supply everyone with national health coverage because health care is a human
right, Americas health care system falls behind other countries, and it would be affordable. Lives are
being hindered not helped. Health care reform is all about money, lots of it, and who got it. The people
who didnt have a seat at the table- those who go to work every day and are too busy to sort fact form
fiction- have no voice (Gibson 41). The United States needs to sign national health care into law, and
save the lives of those who cannot save themselves.

Works Cited
Web:
"4 Health Insurance Marketplace Tips from Healthcare.gov." HealthCare.gov.
N.p., 1 Oct. 2015. Web. 08 Sept. 2016. <https://www.healthcare.gov/quickguide/one-page-guide-to-the-marketplace/>
Cecere, David. "New Study Finds 45,000 Deaths Annually Linked to Lack of Health Coverage." Harvard
Gazette. N.p., 7 Sept. 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
<http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/new-study-finds-45000-deaths-annually-linked-tolack-of-health-coverage/>.
Furman, Jason. "The Economic Benefits of the Affordable Care Act." The White House. The White
House, 02 Apr. 2015. Web. 08 Sept. 2016.
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/04/02/economic-benefits-affordable-care-act>
Harasim, Paul. "Everyone Should Get Health Care." Las Vegas Review-Journal.
N.p., 05 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/your-health/everyone-should-get-health-care
"Health Center Program FTCA." Health Center Program FTCA. N.p., 1 Apr. 2015. Web.
08 Sept. 2016.<http://bphc.hrsa.gov/ftca/healthcenters/index.html>
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance. "Care Without Coverage."
NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220636/>.
Lavidge, Kathy. "Does Universal Healthcare Make Everyone's Life Better?"
Yale School of Management. N.p., 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
<http://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/does-universal-healthcare-make-everyones-life-better>.

"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally."
The Commonwealth Fund. N.p., 16 June 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2014/jun/mirror-mirror>.
Morris, Charles R. "Fix It, Don't Nix It." Commonweal 143.14 (2016): 6.
Literary Reference Center. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
<http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ez.ccclib.org/src_ic/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=93912889-ae3
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Sanders, Bernie, Sen. "Health Care Is a Right, Not a Privilege." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 July 2009. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/health-care-is-a-right-no_b_212770.html>.
"What Is the Human Right to Health and Health Care?" NESRI. N.p., 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.nesri.org/programs/what-is-the-human-right-to-health-and-health-care>.

Book:
Gibson, Rosemary. The Battle Over Health Care. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Group, 2012. Print.
Reid, T. R. The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care. New
York: Penguin, 2009. Print.