by Mark Mukasa

Created on: August 23, 2009   Last Updated: August 24, 2009

For a person born and raised in the United Kingdom, I had never seriously thought about a life without access to free health-care. The National Health Service (NHS) brought me into the world with little problem and I still assume that it would ease me out from this world with dignity. Up until I turned a teenager, I had long assumed that health-care was universally free everywhere. When I was eight I had learned the Hippocratic oath via a history book and learnt that all doctors and health-care providers must provide treatment to everyone. This made complete sense to me and I had not thought that a system contrary to the British NHS model existed until I found out as a teenager. The idea of a US style health system, whereby people must sign up for private insurance and hospitals can refuse treatment for people without health insurance still baffles me. So Obama's recent health-care proposals to implement a pseudo-universal health-care system seemed like straight commonsense.

However, the divided American response baffled me even more. Numerous public meetings have been held whereby angry conservatives claim that the Obama reforms would implement a socialist and totalitarian governmental system and would have death panels whereby shadowy bureaucrats would decide whether the elderly and disabled live or die. It was further exasperated by the illogical ramblings of the Republican party. Particularly Sarah Palin's claim that Obama wants to kill my baby. The large proportion of the conservative attacks on Obama's 4000 page healthcare reform proposals are largely or perhaps entirely rooted in myth.

Perhaps the only legitimate fear of UHC would be the costs incurred to the average citizen. UHC will not be completely free. Citizens would have to pay somewhat greater taxes for this service. Some cautious detractors claim supporting this system would be far too expensive. However, Obama's Single-Payer universal health-care plan is in fact cheaper than the current US system. The current US health-care system employs a flat rate premium which does not distinguish between an individuals ability to pay for a particular rate. The Single-Payer plan is calculated on the basis of income tax which allows families to pay based upon their needs. Instead of the current system whereby a family earning $25,000 annually and a family earning $60,000 are expected at times to pay the same flat rate premium, the health reforms will save on money for poorer families by allowing them

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