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Federally funded universal healthcare: 10 more good reasons The top 10 reasons why universal healthcare is America’s future, including high comparative costs, overall poor health of our nation in comparison to other industrialized countries, the fact that our politicians enjoy taxpayer-funded healthcare even as they tell us, their benefactors, that we wouldn’t like it, and the fact that every industrialized nation in the world except the U.S. enjoys a universal healthcare system, were presented last time. And now, the next 10 reasons: In America, the cost of healthcare is a large portion of the cost of goods produced here. For example, General Motors estimated that $1,525 of every car they built was needed for employee healthcare costs. This is a cost burden GM’s competitors do not bear. Healthcare costs are now considered by most CEOs to be the single largest threat to the U.S. economy in today’s global competitive market. Employers often avoid hiring full-time workers because they cannot bear the burden of the employees’ healthcare costs (which averaged $9,600 per worker in 2008). Universal healthcare means leveling the hiring playing field, strengthening small businesses, and reducing joblessness. In 2008, 2 million Americans declared bankruptcy, with the majority of them citing medical bills as the primary reason. Most of them also had private health insurance. A universal healthcare system will mean stronger families, a stronger middle class, and an economically stronger America. Every industrialized nation in the world has universal healthcare, with the exception of the U.S. Debate continues as to whether citizens in these other countries are happy with their medical system or not. To be honest, I don’t know yet. I think it depends on who you talk to and what their specific medical situation is. I have heard of long waits for organ transplants, for example, but I have not personally been able to find anyone who can tell me first-hand of that experience. (Internet stories abound, but we need to be responsible about finding the facts.) Based on personal experience only: I have several friends who originate from Canada and they were all grateful for their universal healthcare when: 1) a mom wasted away due to pancreatic cancer, requiring increasing levels of in-home care over a period of three years; 2) a sister required nursing home care for nearly 25 years due to Huntington’s disease; and 3) a friend suffered multiple fractures in a car accident and needed surgeries, hospitalizations, and physical therapy. Also, 4) my cousin broke her arm in Norway. I know these are anecdotal and not statistically significant examples, but in all of these instances, my friends/family were very happy with the healthcare they received. I just don’t see throngs of people in countries with universal healthcare taking to the streets in protest. And I certainly don’t see any of them making demands of their policy makers for managed care options. To thoroughly research a healthcare cost comparison among industrialized nations, I had to go back to 2002 data: The U.S. spent $5,267 per capita on healthcare in 2002, more than any other country. Switzerland was second, spending $3,445, or 35 percent less than the U.S., per capita on healthcare, and everyone was covered. Norway spent $3,083 and everyone was covered. Canada spent $2,931. Germany spent $2,817. Iceland spent $2,807. Everyone was covered. And every one of these countries is a healthier nation, measured in life expectancy, infant mortality, access to care, and good health outcomes, than the U.S. An important question under any universal healthcare scenario is, why should I pay for healthcare for illegal immigrants? That is a great question, and it was one of my main concerns until I did the research. Currently, illegal immigrants receive the majority of their healthcare in hospital emergency rooms. This care is 10 times the cost of regular doctor visits and is paid by those of us with health insurance policies, in the form of higher premiums. America’s current health system ignores the cost benefits of prevention-oriented medical care. Strange but true, it is cheaper to provide care for illegal aliens with programs that include prevention and wellness, than it is to treat them when they are desperately sick and visiting the emergency rooms. Universal healthcare will also mean emergency rooms can be used for their intended purpose. Universal healthcare means no co-pays, no family deductibles, no individual deductibles, no limited percentage of coverage after deductible has been met, no “catastrophic only” and no maximum out of pocket. Think about that for a minute. Large purchasing power in a national program means we can return to true competition in the form of affordable and competitive doctor visits, treatments, medical procedures, and prescription drugs. Imagine our nation with universal healthcare. Now imagine you would still like to purchase private pay health insurance. Like private schools that are available for the cost of tuition above and beyond the tax dollars spent to provide a public school system for all, private pay policies would still be available for those who want it. Insurance companies will be more than happy to oblige. Private health insurance plans will be like private school tuition: If you want it, you can still buy it. While huge numbers are being tossed around predicting the price of universal healthcare would be in the stratosphere, remember the cost of not having universal healthcare is already in the stratosphere. Our current healthcare system is really a non-system. America’s healthcare burden is already bringing down small businesses, bankrupting families, devastating industries that try to compete globally, and devastating our economy as a whole. We are not a healthy nation. Put a price on that. Last year, my husband’s lifetime addiction to contact sports caught up with him, and he required scheduled surgery to correct a problem with his Achilles tendon. The operation went perfectly. He spent one hour in surgery and two hours in recovery before I brought him home. Four days later, I received a bill in the mail for $11,000. This was for the hospital facility only – it did not include doctor, anesthesiologist, drugs, supplies, or physical therapy charges. At what point do we step back, take a hard look, and decide once and for all that our current system is out of control? I think we’re there. [Kimberly Learnard is an electrical engineer who holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Georgia. A Fayette County mother of three, she teaches adults through a state training program.] login to post comments | Kimberly Learnard's blog
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