I think there is a push back for universal health care coverage
because of misinformation and misconceptions of the government
being too much in charge of healthcare. There is a fundamental
argument that states that health care is a human right. Others state
that it shouldn't be up to the government to pay for healthcare and
that universal healthcare promotes socialism. I read that "The United
States is the only nation among the 37 OECD
(Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development) nations that does not
have universal health care either in practice or by constitutional
right" (Procon.org, 2019). It would seem that other very well
developed countries have established and implemented some sort of
universal basic healthcare. Why can't the US? Many people have
negative attitudes towards the US government and don't want them
any more involved then they already are (Vladeck, 2003). With CHIP,
Medicare and Medicaid, the United States already helps 27% of our
Country. It is logical to suggest that they these plans can be
expanded and provide more generalize healthcare to everyone. It
was decided many years ago that healthcare (private insurances)
should be in the free market and I honestly believe that the US
doesn't have universal healthcare coverage because of this fact. The
private insurers in our country constitute up to 55% of all insurance
plans (ProCon.org, 2019). They decide what to cover, how much it
will be covered, etc. Because there are no true regulations on what
private insurers can and can't do, this will continue to raise the cost
of healthcare. This fact alone is a big barrier to why there isn't
universal healthcare in our country.
References:
procon.org. (2019, February 2). Universal Healthcare Pros and Cons - Is
it a human right? Right to Health Care. Retrieved February 18, 2022,
from https://healthcare.procon.org/
Vladeck B. (2003). Universal health insurance in the United States:
reflections on the past, the present, and the future. American journal
of public health, 93(1), 16–19. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.93.1.16
