Socialism In Healthcare Essay

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Democrats and Republicans, despite their differences, both agree on two things: one, the United States spends an overwhelmingly large portion of their Gross Domestic Product on health care (approximately 10% more than the world average) and two, their current health care system is radically unjust. Even though a vast majority of the United States is screaming, “I don’t want Socialism!” in response to government-funded health care, the unassailable truth is that in America right now, there is a lot of Socialism. The taxes that the employed pay fund public education, the military, and roads; and those who do not pay taxes to contribute still go to their local high school and drive on the same highways. There is even Socialized medicine -- there is just an extremely ineffective system of medicine. This is because, in the US, anyone can go to virtually any hospital and get treatment for anything from a broken leg to a tumor in their brain. They may not be able to pay for the treatment — it might even bankrupt them — but they can receive treatment nonetheless. In 2009, according to the United States Census Bureau, about 48.6 million people (15.7% of the population) did not have health care, and this number has hardly changed in the last four years. The rich can pay out-of-the-pocket for any procedure they want, whether it be for a terminal illness or another lip injection, while the poor go bankrupt for falling off a ladder. The lack of coverage for the bottom 40% only increases the gap between the poor and the rich and the middle class is gradually disappearing, which not only places this country at a moral crossroad but also threatens a heavy blow to the economy. Affordable healthcare is a civil right that all members of a free nati... ... middle of paper ... ...or United. The sooner this country loses the “every man for himself” attitude, the sooner the United States will be able to move forward as a nation. This country believes that the government must protect all citizens with the military, but what is the point in protecting a nation where there are people who do not care about looking out for their own fellow citizens? Investing in universal healthcare is just another (and certainly less violent) method of the government providing protection. If healthcare is a privilege, than medical centers should simply stop treating those without health coverage and can not pay for it in advance, but they continue to treat anyone who needs it because it is not a privilege. It is a right. And since it is a right, like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is the obligation of the governing system to protect that right.

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