by Jared Garrett

Created on: May 25, 2007   Last Updated: August 25, 2010

As the health care dilemma in the USA spirals more and more out of control, countless suggestions, both good and bad, have been put forth. The best of these suggestions is the idea to enact a system of universal health care. Despite what this system's naysayers might argue, a universal health care system will reduce spending and will also take better care of the American people.

However, before we get into support for a system of universal health care, let us explore the arguments against it. One of the biggest arguments against universal health care is that it could raise taxes. This may actually be true. The costs associated with installing a new governmental department along with paying employees and then administering the health care would be likely in the billions. On the other hand, most folks are already paying into a private health insurance plan. Would taxes be higher than the current premium most people pay? Not likely. So the individual would end up paying less.

A further argument against universal health care is that it would involve government too much, and everybody knows that when government gets involved, things slow down. True enough. Bureaucracies are cumbersome and communication between levels and departments is often at a snail's pace. However, there is a solution to this as well. There should be federal oversight, but the universal health care would actually be administered by the state governments. This state-administered plan would be modelled after Mitt Romney's program in Massachusetts. That's right, residents of Masachusetts all have health care.

A final argument, this one quite irrational, against universal health care is that it is simply another word for socialized medicine. It certainly is. However, what is wrong with the word 'socialized'? It seems like we are in the fifties again, with McCarthy's subcommittee at it again. Socialism equals communism, and everyone knows that communism is evil. Right? Wrong. Communism did not get the job done in many ways, but there are plenty of republics and democracies with socialized medical care systems in place. Like Japan and Taiwan and many others. So enough with the paranoia, eh?

On to some further support for universal health care. Fist off, what better way to spend taxpayer money than to keep Americans healthy and cared for? Think about the image our country has abroad. The richest nation in the world, but we don't take care of our people on an equal basis. Only the wealthy have access

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