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Jozie Osborne

Professor Kretzer

English 1201

13 March 2019

What are the Consequences America Faces When Offering Universal Health Care?

I chose to write about universal health care because it’s super controversial in today's

society and it is a very interesting concept that I’d like to be more knowledgeable on. All of my

life I’ve been surrounded by politics. I’ve always been taught and explained to the way in which

the government should work. As a kid, I would sit and watch the news with my parents, just to

stay updated with what was going on in our country. One night, I remember hearing

controversies over the idea of health care, which is something I’d never heard of. I asked my

parents to explain it to me because I wanted to create an opinion for myself on the issue. After

understanding what this meant, I developed my own opinion on the subject. It has been

disputable in politics for a long time with two different viewpoints. One is that healthcare should

be a given right to all Americans, and the other being that health care should be an earned

privilege for citizens. For my research paper, I will be focusing more on the positives and

negatives of offering universal health care to Americans, explaining whether it should be a right

or privilege. America is one of the only industrialized countries left that hasn’t switched to

universal healthcare, which indicates weakness in the US Government. While It would have to

surpass some issues, America needs to switch to universal health care because it would

strengthen America, benefit the people, and most other industrialized countries already have it.
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Universal health care can be defined as “A system of allocating health care resources

where everyone is covered for basic health care services and no one is denied care as long as he

or she remains legal residents in the territory covered” (Torrey 1). The United States runs its

health care system through citizens buying health insurance, which is different from many other

countries who have a national health service. According to Jennifer Doring of DPE, “The lack of

health insurance coverage has had a profound impact on the U.S. economy. The Center for

American Progress estimated in 2009 that the lack of health insurance in the U.S. cost society

between $124 billion and $248 billion per year” (Doring 1). American citizens who can’t afford

to purchase health insurance are not able to get vital care, like visits to the doctor. Health

insurance isn’t benefiting all Americans in the same way Universal Health Care would. Doring

also states, “Health insurance coverage is uneven and often minorities and the poor are

underserved. Forty million workers, nearly two out of every five, do not have access to paid sick

leave. Experts suggest that the economic pressure to go to work even when sick can prolong

pandemics, reduce productivity, and drive up health care costs”(Doring 1). People aren’t getting

stable coverage and are actually in a dangerous situation if they can’t afford to buy America’s

health insurance plan.

In 2010, President Obama enacted the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as

Obamacare. This law was set in place to get closer to the goal of universal health care. It had 3

main purposes for the American people: Make affordable health insurance available to more

people, expand the Medicaid program, and to support medical care delivery methods designed to

lower the costs of health care generally. This was the first action towards providing universal

health care to America.

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The Affordable Care Act had many flaws in it, which exemplify issues that come

along with universal health care. The first issue is how much the taxes in America went up if you

went with Obamacare instead of buying insurance. According to Kimberly Amadeo of the

Balance, “In 2016, it [Obamacare taxes] increased to 2.5 percent of adjusted gross income. Your

minimum payment is $695, and your maximum amount is the cost of a Bronze plan. Your

minimums could be higher depending on how many family members you have”(Amadeo 1).

This shows how even though citizens didn’t have to buy Health Insurance, they were being

highly taxed to receive “Obamacare”. Another issue dealing with Obamacare was government

funding. The ACA was supposed to save US citizens $143 billion but ended up putting the

country around 1.76 trillion dollars in debt. This was a major issue because it was set in place to

reduce the cost of Medicare in our government, but it ended up eating up all the money the

federal government had. Obamacare was not fully planned out. President Obama promised all

Americans that if they liked their plan, then they could keep it, which is not the case. Health

insurance companies ended up canceling over 1 million plans, defying what the president had

promised. It was a struggle for hospitals to keep up with this transition. Hospitals had to switch

payment services, learn how to computerize all their records, and how to evaluate patients

differently. This caused lots of confusion which lead to failure of the act. Finally, it ended up

actually raising the cost of health care in the short-term. People needing tests, specializations,

and treatments done for things like cancer, cholesterol, and diabetes have to pay a much higher

price to get these things done. These issues that push towards universal health care preview what

consequences America could face if they fully switch to this system.

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This graph shows how Obamacare lead to many adult Americans to having health care.

America rightfully choosing to switch to universal health care has both its ups and

downs. After exemplifying the first attempt at the US reaching this goal, it is known that there

are many issues and controversies in the way of achievement. The most vital problems when

facing universal health care are: “It could require people to pay for services they do not receive,

It may stop people from being careful about their health, It may limit specialized services, It may

limit the accuracy of patient care, It may have long wait times, It could limit the payouts which

Doctors receive, It may limit new technologies, It requires significant Budgeting Skills, and It

may offer multiple systems of coverage, which increase patient costs”(Ayres 1). These affairs all

add up to be the main consequences of America not offering free health care to all.

The first issue I will be exploring when dealing with universal health care is that it would

require people to pay for services they do not directly receive. Statistics show, “In the United

States, about 5% of people consume about 50% of the health care costs which are generated each

year”(Ayres 1). This means that almost all American citizens waste most of the money health
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care services provide for them each year. People are paying unfairly high taxes even if they

hardly need medical attention at all, in fact, “The healthiest 50% of the population consumes just

3% of the health care costs in the country”(Ayres 1). This fact shows how healthier people are

paying for the same plan as people who are needing medical attention constantly, which is

unjust. This reasoning is the main point on why universal health care needs haven’t been met in

the United States yet.

Next, I’d like to go over another reason as to why free health care for all has

consequences. If the US decided to switch over to this system, many people would stop being

careful about their health. This is because they are paying high taxes to be provided with health

care, so they are always available to take visits to the Doctor/Hospital. Citizens wouldn’t have to

pay for each individual trip, so they might just be wasteful when scheduling appointments.

Another issue that is brought up when talking about universal health care in America is

that it can limit the accuracy of patient care. If universal health care systems were enacted,

people working in medical offices and such will suffer a severe pay decrease. With America

having a free-market system, Doctors are able to provide care for those who vitally need their

attention. This system allows people who are in high demand for medical attention to get the best

protection, even if that means it’s an individual higher cost. Crystal Ayres of Vittana explained,

“Within a system of universal health care, doctors are often assigned more patients than they can

legitimately handle”(Ayres 1). With Professionals rushing to fulfill patients needs, they are not

as careful through the interview and diagnostic process. This means that they don’t look into the

patient as deeply and can base their diagnoses quickly off of symptoms rather than performing

tests. This is a very vital issue because it is not only affecting our health care systems but citizens

personal well-being.
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All around, medical services will be limited. The last service to exemplify this would be

specialized services in hospitals/doctor’s offices. Ayres also explains, “As another cost-savings

measure, a system of universal care may restrict access to certain procedures or medications if

the chances of patient success are minimal”(Ayres 1). This statement provides insight that

Doctor’s might be less likely to help someone who has has a high risk of not making it because

they can only see so many patients. If universal health care was enacted, Doctor’s would choose

palliative care over life-saving measures, which is not the case in our current free-market system.

The money spent on patients who are close to death significantly dropped because Medicaid only

covers 25% of the people. Specialized services would be hard to access if Universal Health Care

was permitted in America.

Additionally, if America decided to conform over to a universal health care system, there

would be a much longer wait time for citizens to receive medical attention. Doctors in the system

would actually be given a limit on their compensation for each individual patient. They want the

patients who will be paying the highest amounts to receive the most beneficial care, so they will

deal with them first. In an article I read titled “Universal Health Care Pros and Cons”, the author

provides the information that “In Canada, the wait times to see a specialist can even be long for

some patients, with some people waiting almost 40 weeks to see someone for a health

concern”(Ayres 1). This shows how countries that have universal health care face these issues.

The main goal of the universal health care system is to cover basic needs and emergencies only,

other issues will have to wait.

The next issue dealing with the universal health care is that it could limit the payouts

which Doctors receive. This is because American citizens are getting their cost reduced for

medical care, which comes out of their Doctors compensation. Doctors have to think
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strategically when dealing with patients and time slots because they have their own costs to be

focused on. This issue, again, allows Doctors to “Spend less time with their patients to improve

their billable hours or reduce their own personal costs of providing care”(Ayres 1). This is a

common issue when dealing with America switching to a universal health care system.

Another con with this America developing a system of free health care can be the lack of

new technologies in the medical fields. With costs being focused on providing health care to

citizens, money can’t be used for technology innovation. Less funding will be provided for

technology, therefore the medical field wouldn’t be coming up with new ideas or procedures for

a long time. In the long run, this could be very detrimental to humans and medical care for the

future.

Universal health care also comes with new requirements that official needs to be

qualified on. A specific job that needs to be done correctly in order for this system to work is

budgeting. The American government would have to carefully plan out how to budget this issue

in order for success. Universal health care will take up most of the American Government

budget, according to statistics, “In Canada, the costs of health care can be as much as 40% of the

government’s annual budget at the provincial level”(Ayres 1). This shows how serious of a role

budgeting takes on the survival of this service. If there is an over budget, services in other

government departments will have to be reduced, which isn’t the goal of the universal health care

plan.

The last issue with America considering converting to a universal health care system is

that it may offer multiple systems of coverage, which could increase patient’s costs. If private

insurance models or supplemental insurance plans intervene with free health care systems it

could be very confusing and complicated to understand universal health care. Some people might
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end up paying a private insurer to deal with all of their coverage, which can be costly. If this

becomes a trend people can end up spending more money on this than they did in a free-market

system. That is why other countries who have Universal Health Care “Try to keep competition in

the field of medicine, so they introduce various structures to complement their system of

universal care. There may be pre-paid options, private insurance models, supplemental insurance

plans, or expanded choice opportunities available”(Ayres 1). This shows how other countries

have dealt with the issue of keeping citizens costs low.

America is one of the only OECD countries that have not switched over to universal

health care. The OECD stands for The Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development and includes countries such: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,

Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand,

Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,

United Kingdom, and United States. In most of these countries, the government pays for private

company health care. The main countries that have succeeded with medicare according to

Amadeo, “These include the systems in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Singapore, and

Switzerland. U.S. examples are Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE”(Amadeo 1).On the other

hand, The United Kingdom has a “Government both pays for and provides the services, that is

socialized medicine”(Amadeo 1). These are just examples of different health care methods

countries around the world use.

In the article, “Sláintecare – A ten-year plan to achieve universal healthcare in Ireland”,

they’re describing the type of health care plan the Ireland Parliament is pushing towards. It is a

10-year plan for Health reform through Political consensus, otherwise known as “Sláintecare”.
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According to Sarah Burke, author of this article, “The report, known as ‘Sláintecare’, is unique

and historic as it is the first time there has been a cross-party political consensus on major health

reform in Ireland”(Burke 1). This is an example of a health care network other than free-market

that is successful and beneficial to its countries citizens.

Although America will face many consequences with providing universal health

care to their citizens, there will also be many benefits that come from it. Some of those

important, impressive pros given by author Crystal Ayres include that “It lowers the costs of

health care for the economy, It reduces administrative costs for care access, It simplifies the rules

process, It removes the competition, and It helps children”(Ayres 1). These benefits make all of

the consequences of universal health care worth it if switching to this system America will be

bettering medical options for their citizens.

The first advantage that comes along with universal health care is the fact that it would

lower the costs of health care for the American economy. According to Ayres, “When a system

of universal health care is in place, the government is able to leverage the size of the medical

market to negotiate better pricing structures”(Ayres 1). This shows that it will lower the cost of

care due to the fact services and prescription prices will be lower. This is beneficial to the

American people because they wouldn’t have to stress about paying too much for stuff not

provided with the plan.

Another advantage that attributes to universal health care is that it would reduce

administrative costs for care access. Insurers and medical companies all around the US all have

their own private agencies. This means US citizens who are purchasing health care plans are

paying multiple different sources to get the job done. If universal health care was enacted, people
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wouldn’t have to worry about paying various companies, instead, they would just be paying into

one simple business.

The next advantage for universal health care throughout the US is that it would simplify

the rules process through hospitals and insurance companies. We know this because “In the

United States, an insurance company may stipulate that they approve of services before they are

given to a patient”(Ayres 1). This shows how the free-market system right now is running and

how complicated it is. If universal health care was introduced to America, people would be able

to get their medical needs fulfilled without having to ask their insurer first. This would allow

people to get their needs taken care of simpler and more efficiently.

Another advantage universal health care would provide for America is that it would

remove competition and make the health care system fair. The free-market system America

currently has favors the wealthy. This is because the system has higher prices that Doctors have

set in place that only people with more money can afford. Most of America today can’t afford

health care in our free-market system. In fact,” Many hospitals now require uninsured patients to

put their treatment on a credit card which can saddle a low-income household with unplayably

high balances that can lead to personal bankruptcy”(Kotlikoff 1). This shows why most citizens

don’t even bother to buy health care in the first place. If they charger more to higher class people

then they have more money to, “funnel it into research and development to create new services

to offer, then price it outside of the spectrum of the average person”(Ayres 1). If the US switched

to a universal health care system citizens wouldn’t worry about the coverage and help they’re

getting based on their financial stance.

Finally, universal health care in America would benefit the children and their futures. If

children are able to acquire good health earlier on, they are setting themselves up for success.
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Statistics show that kids who receive health care at a young age are less likely to be involved in

crime, poverty, and they will be less likely to develop diseases and such later on.

In conclusion, health care is a system that other than the United States, modernized

countries have adapted to. It has been trialed in America through plans like the Affordable Care

Act, which was not very successful. If the US wants to end up enacting this plan they will need

to plan it out and be strategic about the consequences they will have to face. In the long run,

America switching to a universal health care system will be very beneficial for its people.

Works Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. “Why America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health Care.”

The Balance Small Business, The Balance, 24 Dec. 2018,

www.thebalance.com/universal-health-care-4156211.

Ayres, Crystal. “17 Universal Health Care Pros and Cons.” Vittana.org, Vittana, vittana.org/17-

universal-health-care-pros-and-cons.
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Burke, Sara, et al. “Health Reform Monitor: Sláintecare – A Ten-Year Plan to Achieve Universal

Healthcare in Ireland.” Health Policy, vol. 122, Dec. 2018, pp. 1278–1282. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.05.006.

Doring, Jennifer. “The U.S. Health Care System: An International Perspective.” DPEAFLCIO,

DPE, 2016, dpeaflcio.org/programs-publications/issue-fact-sheets/the-u-s-health-care-

system-an-international-perspective/.

Gilson, Dave, et al. “20 Obamacare Stats the GOP Doesn't Want You to See.” Mother Jones, 24

June 2017, www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/03/obamacare-charts-stats-health-care-

reform/.

Kotlikoff, Laurence J. The Healthcare Fix : Universal Insurance for All Americans. The MIT

Press, 2007. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d

b=nlebk&AN=214615&site=eds-live.

Neeman, Edward. “The Pros And Cons Of A Single-Payer Health Care System.” First Quote

Health, FirstQuote Health, 12 Sept. 2018, www.firstquotehealth.com/health-insurance-

news/single-payer-health-care-pros-cons.

Torrey, Trisha. “What to Know About Universal Health Care Coverage.” Verywell Health,

Verywellhealth, 26 Nov. 2018, www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-universal-healthcare-

coverage-2615254.
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