The Pros And Cons Of Universal Health Care

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Thesis Introduction: Throughout the years, universal health care has certainly been a debatable topic among Americans, the debate being whether we should stay true to the current system of private health insurance companies, covering only those wealthy enough to afford it, or if we should have a government-run system that covers all Americans. Currently, there are two programs to help support those without health insurance: Medicare and Medicaid. They are both government-sponsored programs designed to help cover healthcare costs. The first, Medicare, is a federal program that is attached to Social Security and is made readily available to all U.S. citizens of or above the age 65 and also the disabled. The other, Medicaid, is a joint federal and state program that helps low-income individuals and families pay for the medical costs and long-term care. It requires more nitty-gritty details than only being of a certain age; these details are determined by each individual state. Both programs work together to help provide coverage for the elderly and the poor. Unfortunately the rest of the population, over 45 million Americans, are left uninsured. Without changes in our policy, there will be a growing number of people, mainly under the age of 65, which will lack health insurance. The United States government should provide universal health care to its people, as proven by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan federal agency that provides valid economic data, who estimate that the average number of nonelderly people alone that are uninsured will rise from about 45 million in 2009 to about 54 million in 2019. This is not anything new; again, health care has been a problem for years, beginning in the 1930s during the great... ... middle of paper ... ...014”, which when this part of the law occurs, it is estimated that “30 million of the current 50 million uninsured Americans will receive coverage” (“Health Care Reform”). Despite what critics say about forcing “people to buy private insurance plans that they cannot afford”, if more people go to buy health insurance, the cost of health care will drop, ultimately making it much more affordable. Supporters of the new law say that the U.S. will be a far better country with more citizens covered. The new system is not perfect, but it is definitely a step forward towards providing universal health care, something that this country is in desperate need of. “In order to form a more perfect union” and in order to be the great nation the United States is supposed to be, the government must provide health care coverage to all Americans through a universal health care plan.

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