Channel Button

There are 29 articles on this title. You are reading the article ranked and rated #2 by Helium's members.

Debate_icon

Health & Fitness   >

Health Care

Health care is increasingly expensive in the United States, is it time to adopt European style "universal health care"?

Results so far:

Yes
72% 150 votes Total: 208 votes
No
28% 58 votes

No one would argue that with over 40 million uninsured United States citizens, and the cost of health care quickly becoming so expensive that the average family cannot even afford health insurance premiums, that there is something wrong with our health care system, but adopting a universal health care plan in not the answer.

In the United States today, there does not seem to be one single Government agency that works efficiently and economically, so does anyone believe that our current government could manage a universal health care plan? Citizens would quickly find that their taxes would be increased in order to pay for their own health plan and the plans of others, and for citizens who currently have their own medical insurance, this would quickly outweigh their current premiums. In the long run, it would be the middle class who is gouged the worst by this system.

In addition to an increase in taxes, citizens would soon find that seeing a doctor, even for what some consider an emergency, would take much longer. In countries where these kinds of plans have been adopted, it is not unheard of to wait up to 3 months for a regular doctors visit and sometimes over a year for what are considered elective surgeries. Patients would be hustled in to an office like cattle and given impersonal care, because the need for doctors to keep their client base would no longer be an issue; patients would not get to choose their own doctors in most cases.

Possibly the worst part of this kind of system is the way that people who take pride and care in their health will end up having to pay for those who do not. For instance, a person who is in good health and rarely visits a doctor except for annual check-ups will end up paying the same for health care (in the way of taxes) as someone who smokes, drinks, is severely overweight and doesn't manage their health through exercises and diet control.

In the end, while our current system is not perfect, it is better than a country where people lose personal control of something as important as health care.

Learn more about this author, Sarah Williams.
Contact this writer Click here to send this author comments or questions.


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Health care is increasingly expensive in the United States, is it time to adopt European style "universal health care"?

No
  • 1 of 9

    by Tom Sutcliff

    No! Going to a socialized medical system like they have in Europe will decrease the availability of health care and r...read more

  • 2 of 9

    by Sarah Williams

    No one would argue that with over 40 million uninsured United States citizens, and the cost of health care quickly be...read more

Yes
  • 1 of 20

    by Tracy A. Moore

    The United States absolutely needs to implement universal health care. It is a sad fact that the wealthiest country i...read more

  • 2 of 20

    by Fred Tolleson

    Universal Health Care is a badly mis-understood term. Some refer to the health care generally found in the European a...read more

Add your voice

Know something about Health care is increasingly expensive in the United States, is it time to adopt European style "universal health care"??
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

What is Helium? | User Guide | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA