Should the Federal Government Provide Health Care for All Citizens Who Cannot Afford Their Own?

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SHOULD THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL CITIZENS WHO CANNOT AFFORD THEIR OWN?

Health care is not a privilege. In fact, a good level and quality on healthcare should be an inalienable right for all people. Social class, status or economic situation shouldn’t dictate who live and enjoy of good health or who doesn’t. Healthcare in America should be universal, continuous, and affordable to all individuals and families. Although some of the states in the US are taking unilateral measures not to focus exclusively on the poor, but seeks to guarantee health access to any uninsured people, achieving universal coverage will require federal leadership and support, regardless of which strategy is adopted to achieve this …show more content…

The private market healthcare system in which many Americans pride themselves is clearly inefficient and has a huge effect on making healthcare so expensive. Money is not being collected simply to cover costs; however, healthcare has become the largest industry in every developed nation. U.S. revenues totaled $1,077.1 billion in 1998 ( Mueller, 2) Known as the “Gang of Four,” health maintenance organizations (HMOs), pharmaceutical companies, for-profit hospitals, and insurance providers use their sizable finances to exercise considerable clout (Le Bow, 170). Huge political campaign contributions give the healthcare industry significant lobbying power in national healthcare policy. This power prevents the implementation of many restrictive regulations and allows the healthcare industry to continue high prices and money-making practices.

One of the current universal healthcare models that has been in place the longest is the British program. Established in 1948 with the motto of “free health care for all” (Strosberg, 221), the British National Health Service (BNHS) was set up to replace the previous inefficient market healthcare system. The British Labor government took complete control of British health insurance funds, clinics, and hospitals and began administering healthcare. Over the years, the BNHS has experienced its share of crises, most notably in the 1951

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