Universal Health Care Research Paper

“America's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system” newsman Walter Cronkite half kiddingly stated. The United States has always been known for being number one in most conditions compared to other countries in the world. Immigrants settle and strive to come to America to seek a better life and to be treated equally and have the same opportunities any one else has. On top of being number one Americans are known to spend a lot of money on items and materials that they don’t necessarily need. Americans spend the most on healthcare than any other industrialized country. America has the most expensive health care in the world and you would believe that this is due to the fact that we have the best healthcare. Wrong. America

The National Health Service was established on July 5, 1948, brought to the idea of health secretary Aneurin Bevan. Bevan believed that good healthcare should be delivered to all. Many countries take part of a universal health care system plan. Universal health care is when the government provides health care for all their citizens without them having to worry about financial hardships. Universal health care countries’ main priority is to ensure accessibility of care and for patients to have a better relationship with their physicians. No one who is a citizen of the United Kingdom can be denied health care assistance because all the citizens pay for universal healthcare through taxes. Hospitals are publicly owned and medical physicians such as doctors, nurses and surgeons get paid through a government salary. The United Kingdom sees healthcare as a basic right. America has a different perspective and views health care as a privilege, which is why American citizens pay to have a health care plan. Americans rely on a “private voluntary insurance obtained primarily through employers with a public system that provides services through Medicare and Medicaid (amasa.org).” This system is a problem with the lower class and recently the middle class. Forty-five million Americans lack health insurance due to problems accessing it. Eighty percent of uninsured

Working employees can receive health insurance plans that the companies they work for provides for them. Patients pay more for an insurance believing they will receive better service in return. According to Delivering Healthcare in America: A System’s Approach 52.8%of Americans are covered by private insurance companies, 14.7% are uninsured and 32.5% are covered by public health insurance. There are a couple of public health insurances in the United States that provide insurance for specifically qualified patients that live on a low income. There is public health insurance for war veterans, kids and adults with disabilities and the elderly. Medicare and Medicaid are two of the most popular public health insurances. Medicare is the federal health insurance programed for those over 65 years old, people with disabilities and people with certain health risk factors (medicare.gov). “Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources (medicare.gov).” Medicaid also gives benefits that aren’t normally covered my Medicare like personal care services and nursing home cares. The government provides for Medicare and Medicaid, which American citizens pay for through taxes. American citizens pay for this in belief that when they retire they will be given the same benefits as the elderly do today. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundations