Universal Healthcare and You

In response to my classmate’s blog, I count too!, I agree the universal health insurance is an issue that needs to be decided with a great sense of urgency. One statistic quoted within the blog is that 45.8 million Americans are without health insurance, and indeed, this is a staggering rate that should be intolerable. However, the issue is more complex than what it seen on the surface. My classmate seems to think that universal health coverage is what is best for Americans and getting involved is necessary. Sure, the words, “Every American is now insured” sounds great to the ear, but what are the consequences? Has anyone ever thought who is going to pay for all this? Yes, the insured are currently paying for the uninsured peoples’ abuse of the emergency room for a quick-fix, and hopes are that with universal coverage everyone will share a portion of the price. However, lower-income families may not be able to provide these funds, so the government will be forced to turn to the wealthy for help to keep the program running. Is this truly an ethical practice? Or the government doesn’t turn to the people, and we find ourselves in further in debt. I also agree that an uninsured person is more likely to have chronic health problems because they cannot afford to receive routine medical treatment. But there has to be some other solution to the problem. As part of my commentary to the said blog, I have the same opinion that it was beneficial for Barack Obama to bring the issue to national attention. High-officials should be made aware of what is going on with the “common” people. A final thought, my classmate is correct, this problem will not go away unless everyone can come together and do their part to help those around us.