The accessibility of health care has decreased, shown by the increasing number of Americans that are uninsured. In 2002 the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities stated,"The total number of uninsured Americans rose from 39.8 million in 2000 to 41.2 million in 2001" since then the rate has continued to rise with the most recent estimate being 47 million as found by the National Coalition on Health Care. The increase in the number of the uninsured can be contributed to factors including a rise in the cost of business provided health insurance.
The rate of coverage provided by employers has significantly dropped due to the increase health care costs causing the rate of health coverage provided by federal insurance plans, for example Medicaid, to increase. Elise Gould explains the trend thoroughly here. The following chart by Gould depicts the decline in Employer-provided insurance and increase uninsured rate from 2000 to 2004.
A decrease in the amount of employer-provided health care makes acquiring health care harder for many working Americans who can't afford health care otherwise.The decrease in health care coverage could be corrected by a government imposed plan. The increased use of Medicaid shows that there is a strong need for government involvement in the health care situation, and a universal health care plan that would cover all citizens would reduce the need for the third party insurance companies. With the government involvement increased in health insurance the market power of private insurance companies would decrease and the costs to employers of providing health benefits would decline. Currently the price of health care is on a steep rise.
The increase in costs can be shown through how the prices of prescription drugs have increased since 1960. As stated in a previous blog and by Michael Tanner, director of research at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation," A single-payer national health care system would come at enormous cost to American taxpayers"(as quod. in "Health Care Reform: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"). The increase that Tanner is talking about is the belief that by increasing the number of people that have insurance, including those who can't afford it, health care costs will increase resulting in higher taxes. If those who can't afford health insurance are still receiving it from the government it is believed that the taxpayers will in essence be paying for the insurance of the poor. There are other ways that the increased coverage may be compensated for in the decreased cost of out-of-pocket and private health insurance. The California Health Care Foundation depicts the divisions of the nation's health care spending as of 2004 in a chart.
There is also a fear that universal health care will cause citizens employed by insurance companies to lose there jobs is. With a reduced need for a third insurance company the workers will be forced to find work elsewhere, which is one source of employment as Kao-Ping Chua discusses,"All reform is difficult, no matter what it is. Health care reform is no different. The question is about priorities: where there’s a will for UHC, there will be a way.
Even under more difficult transitions, such as with a single payer system in which the private insurance industry is minimized, the country will need people to help administer the new program. People could be transitioned from the private insurance industry to the new program. UHC will create new jobs throughout the country – right now, businesses are either firing or not hiring low-wage workers because of health insurance costs, and many people stay with their current jobs just to get health insurance benefits instead of starting their own businesses"(read more here). Another idea that has formulated around universal health care is that the universal health care plan would allow employers, other than the insurance companies, to hire more workers by reducing their costs of providing health care benefits to workers.
The jobs of the already experienced insurance workers could also help to ensure that the quality and efficiency of the new system will meet expectations to help benefit citizens. The belief that the universal health care plan could produce inferior quality of health care in the U.S. is based on stories from other countries with similar systems. The blog "An Argument Against Universal Public Health Care" shares one such story of a patient treated in India for an eye infection. The idea that the quality of care provided by hospitals in America will decline is something that could be rationally avoided. Quality is based on funding, with sufficient funds the U.S. could keep the quality standard stable. The judicial system that allows for citizens to file claims against hospitals now will be in operation for similar suits to be filed in the future in order to protect citizens. The workers that help to organize the operation for the new system along with the judicial system will help to insure that the medical resources could be efficiently used and funded to avoid a decline in quality.
Universal health care will increase accessibility, but what effect will it have on life expectancy? Those who support universal health care believe that it will increase the nation's life expectancy rate. In 1999 John R. Battista, M.D. and Justine McCabe, Ph.D brought up the deminishing status of the United States' health care system. John R. Battista, M.D. and Justine McCabe, Ph.D, provide several examples of decreased life expectancy in America. Although available health care isn't the only factor that contributes to life expectancy it is a factor. In 2007 the Associated Press looked into the phenomenon that showed why the U.S. was ranked 42nd in life expectancy.
The cost of increasing accessibility seems like it should increase of the current expense, however those who support universal health care, as the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report explains, believe the current health expenditures could pay for universal health care. Barack Obama gives a speech on how the current health care costs payed by Americans is still increasing, and in affect increasing the need for universal health care. There are many costs that could be forgone with the universal health care plan. The government could use funding to provide universal health care by eliminating these costs. A 2004 outline of excessive costs states, "Under the current system, hundreds of billions of dollars a year are wasted by health-care sellers on billing, fraud and administrative expenses. Excess profits and high CEO (and other executive) salaries at large HMOs and other health-care companies add further costs."(read more here)
Universal health care will enable stronger government involvement in the system. There are flaws in every government run system. Many question the capability of the government to be able to run a universal health care system efficiently. With health care as a topic that is very important and very personal to citizens it is fitting that they are skeptical to a decrease in their options of insurance providers.
With an increasing amount of Americans finding themselves without health insurance, as shown by the Employee Benefits Research Institute in a graph, a solution to increase access to health care needs to be found. Awareness of the faults of the current system is increasing as the Public Opinion and Research Program helps to prove,"This August 2007 tracking poll finds that health care remains the top domestic issue that the public wants presidential candidates to address in the campaign, trailing only Iraq on the public's overall priority list." (as quod. in "Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008- August 2007") Americans value an efficient and affordable health care system that is currently not being supplied.
Universal health care can offer a way for the government to provide affordable health insurance to citizens increasing accessibility and decreasing overall health care spending. The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University gives a detailed example of the decrease in health spending in Maryland for the cost of a single-payer system to the state. By decreasing overall expenses universal health care will increase health care accessibility by providing affordable health insurance. A complete universal health care plan may not be the best option for the United States, however in the upcoming election presidential candidates are left to decide to what level of universal health care should be applied.
The jobs of the already experienced insurance workers could also help to ensure that the quality and efficiency of the new system will meet expectations to help benefit citizens. The belief that the universal health care plan could produce inferior quality of health care in the U.S. is based on stories from other countries with similar systems. The blog "An Argument Against Universal Public Health Care" shares one such story of a patient treated in India for an eye infection. The idea that the quality of care provided by hospitals in America will decline is something that could be rationally avoided. Quality is based on funding, with sufficient funds the U.S. could keep the quality standard stable. The judicial system that allows for citizens to file claims against hospitals now will be in operation for similar suits to be filed in the future in order to protect citizens. The workers that help to organize the operation for the new system along with the judicial system will help to insure that the medical resources could be efficiently used and funded to avoid a decline in quality.
Universal health care will increase accessibility, but what effect will it have on life expectancy? Those who support universal health care believe that it will increase the nation's life expectancy rate. In 1999 John R. Battista, M.D. and Justine McCabe, Ph.D brought up the deminishing status of the United States' health care system. John R. Battista, M.D. and Justine McCabe, Ph.D, provide several examples of decreased life expectancy in America. Although available health care isn't the only factor that contributes to life expectancy it is a factor. In 2007 the Associated Press looked into the phenomenon that showed why the U.S. was ranked 42nd in life expectancy.
The cost of increasing accessibility seems like it should increase of the current expense, however those who support universal health care, as the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report explains, believe the current health expenditures could pay for universal health care. Barack Obama gives a speech on how the current health care costs payed by Americans is still increasing, and in affect increasing the need for universal health care. There are many costs that could be forgone with the universal health care plan. The government could use funding to provide universal health care by eliminating these costs. A 2004 outline of excessive costs states, "Under the current system, hundreds of billions of dollars a year are wasted by health-care sellers on billing, fraud and administrative expenses. Excess profits and high CEO (and other executive) salaries at large HMOs and other health-care companies add further costs."(read more here)
Universal health care will enable stronger government involvement in the system. There are flaws in every government run system. Many question the capability of the government to be able to run a universal health care system efficiently. With health care as a topic that is very important and very personal to citizens it is fitting that they are skeptical to a decrease in their options of insurance providers.
With an increasing amount of Americans finding themselves without health insurance, as shown by the Employee Benefits Research Institute in a graph, a solution to increase access to health care needs to be found. Awareness of the faults of the current system is increasing as the Public Opinion and Research Program helps to prove,"This August 2007 tracking poll finds that health care remains the top domestic issue that the public wants presidential candidates to address in the campaign, trailing only Iraq on the public's overall priority list." (as quod. in "Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Election 2008- August 2007") Americans value an efficient and affordable health care system that is currently not being supplied.
Universal health care can offer a way for the government to provide affordable health insurance to citizens increasing accessibility and decreasing overall health care spending. The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University gives a detailed example of the decrease in health spending in Maryland for the cost of a single-payer system to the state. By decreasing overall expenses universal health care will increase health care accessibility by providing affordable health insurance. A complete universal health care plan may not be the best option for the United States, however in the upcoming election presidential candidates are left to decide to what level of universal health care should be applied.
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