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RESEARCHED CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Under Universal Healthcare, every American would have benefits unlike the present system we currently have. It would also mean more accessible healthcare and health facilities for those who could not have access to it before. This would mean higher taxes which is opposed by many Americans. While switching to a single-payer system would be an upgrade from the multi-payer system we have now, it would still lead to the same issues. Hence, the United States should implement a system like Canada where everyone has all the basic things covered, but can choose to upgrade or buy in a private insurance company if they want to. My essay is not going to be very controversial because I think everyone agrees that the American healthcare system is not that great and that it needs to be replaced. I think that most people from what I have read agree that although a single-payer system sounds amazing, it can work in America for many reasons. Therefore, the only way to make sure that everyone agrees that the current health care system needs to be replaced is by allowing people to choose between public and private health insurance. 

  Edward Eichhorn and Michael Hutchinson’s article “Why Medicare-for-All Is Not Good for America” offers options for ways to change the medical system without getting rid of the one we already have. It outlines many of America’s popular concerns about the consequences of universal healthcare. It notes that “the proposal will also reduce one million jobs by eliminating the insurance industry.” Moreover, the article points out that 70 percent of Americans approved Medicare for all when surveyed while 30 percent accepted it as a condition. Two of the alternatives they listed were requiring all employers to provide their employees with health benefits, monitor prescription costs, reduce hospital service fees for outpatient testing, and standardize all fees for imaging and laboratory testing. They stress how medicine will increase taxes for everyone, so it wouldn’t get much bipartisan support. To put it in frankly some Americans don’t want to pay for the treatment of others. Additionally, countries with a universal health care program often have a longer waiting period on average. And countries often combine universal health care with other schemes to put the competition in.

  If universal healthcare was to be introduced, hospitals and physicians would be obliged to have the same low-cost quality of service. 25 percent of Americans have little to no health care. As a result, more than 101,000 of them died last year because they couldn’t bear the high costs of healthcare. This is mostly because the new system requires hospitals to compete, which causes them to be more concerned with making a profit, rather than delivering a great service. Hospitals typically end up investing lots of money on modern and innovative medical equipment Paying physicians fair salaries and providing costly treatment, all in the hopes of attracting affluent clients. A study by a team led by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that higher overall healthcare spending in the United States was primarily due to higher rates including higher prescribing rates, higher wages for doctors and nurses, higher hospital administration costs and higher prices for other medical services.

Thus the best solution to the current problem we have now is to implement both a private and public option. Many of the countries with the best healthcare have a public option that covers the basics while having a private alternative for more complex procedures. Australia, for example, ranked eighth in the Best Health Care System Rank according to a study that surveyed more than 20,000 global citizens from four regions to assess perceptions of 73 countries on 65 different metrics. The Australian healthcare system consists of both The public system and the private system. The public system is made up of several components, including public hospitals, community-based services, and affiliated health organizations largely owned and governed by state and territory governments. While the private system includes health service providers that are owned and managed privately, such as private hospitals, specialist medical and allied health and pharmacies.

Every American would have benefits under Universal Health Care unlike the existing system we currently have. It would also allow more affordable healthcare for those who could not have access to it and access to health services. If universal healthcare were to be introduced, the same low-cost quality of service would be required of hospitals and physicians. So the best solution to the current problem that we now have is to implement both a private option and a public one. Many of the best-care countries have a public option that covers the basics while offering a private alternative for more complex procedures.

Works Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. “Why America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health Care.” The Balance, The Balance, 13 Mar. 2020

The author of this article helped explain the different perspectives people have on universal healthcare and why people might support or disagree with it. 

Anderson, Gerard, et al. “U.S. Health Care Spending Highest Among Developed Countries.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 8 Jan. 2019

The author of this article helped explain why healthcare in America is so expensive. 

Baldacci, Meridian. “Why Single-Payer Would Make Health Care Worse for Americans.” The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 26 Sept. 2018, www.heritage.org/health-care-reform/commentary/why-single-payer-would-make-health-care-worse-americans. 

The author of this article helped explain why Universal health would be difficult to implement in America.

Hutchinson, Michael, and Edward Eichhorn. “Why Medicare-for-All Is Not Good for America.”   U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 26 Apr. 2019, 

The authors of this article helped explain why universal healthcare would not work at replacing the current system that we have.

Montgomery, Kelly. “Difference Between Universal Coverage and a Single-Payer System.” Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 22 Feb. 2020

The author of this article helped explain the difference between Universal Coverage and a Single-Payer System. It helps explain why it matters.

EXPLORATORY ESSAY

For many Americans, when they get sick they either end up paying out of pocket or having it covered by their insurance. Private Health Insurance is now the dominant form of healthcare offered in America. However, many Americans are uninsured, which has led to the debate on whether the United States should switch to a universal payer system. Under Universal healthcare, every American would have insurance unlike with the current system that we have now. Additionally, it would mean more affordable healthcare and access to health services for people who could not previously access it. This would also mean higher taxes, which many Americans are opposed to. The question is whether or not moving to a single-payer system is better or worse for the country in the long run.

The article “Why Medicare-for-All Is Not Good for America”  by Edward Eichhorn and Michael Hutchinson provides alternatives for ways to improve the medical system without having to get rid of the one we have now. It summarizes many of the common complaints about the effects of universal healthcare in America. It states that by “eliminating the insurance industry, the plan would also eliminate one million jobs”. In addition, the article points out how although 70 percent of Americans when polled approved of Medicare for all, only 30 percent supported it is a requirement. Some of the alternatives they stated were requiring all employers to provide health insurance for their employees, controlling drug costs, and eliminating hospital facility fees for outpatient testing and standardizing all imaging and lab testing fees. They highlight how medicare for all would increase taxes, so it would not receive much bipartisan support. To simply put it some Americans do not want to pay for other people’s healthcare. Furthermore, countries that have a universal healthcare system also have on average a longer waiting time. And Countries often combine universal health coverage with other systems to introduce competition. 

There’s no doubt that the majority of Americans support the installment of a government-run healthcare system rather than private insurance. This is made ambitiously clear when one looks at the exit polls that show that an overwhelming number of Americans want a single player system. With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the numerous problems our current system has there’s no doubt that the present-day American Healthcare system is broken. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 28.1 million Americans without health insurance in 2016, a sharp decline from the 46.6 million who had been uninsured before the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Many Universal Health Care advocates like to cite the fact that a Yale study estimated over $450 billion and more than 68,000 lives could be saved each year with a single-payer, universal health-care system. 

Furthermore, if universal health was to be implemented it would force hospitals and doctors to provide the same standard of service at a low cost. Among Americans, 25 percent had little or no health insurance. As a result, more than 101,000 of them died each year because they were unable to afford the high healthcare costs. This is all due to the fact the current system enables competition between hospitals, which leads them to be more concerned about making a profit, rather than providing a service. Hospitals usually end up spending tons of money on new and advanced medical devices Paying competitive salaries to doctors and offering costly services, all in hopes to attract wealthy clients. A study from a team led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researcher found that higher total healthcare spending in the United States was largely attributable to higher rates including higher prescription rates, higher wages for physicians and nurses, higher hospital management costs and higher prices for other medical services.

There is no doubt that the current system we have now is broken, however, switching to a government-run health care system might also have negative effects. Although the overwhelming amount of Americans support some form of universal health, they do not want it to be a requirement. The debate over universal healthcare will always be hot button issues, both sides touting themselves to be correct. Some argue that the only way America can have a universal healthcare system or a one similar to it is if there was an option to have private health insurance for those who might not want to be a part of the public option. But regarding what side you fall one, there is an overwhelming agreement that the American healthcare system is severely broken.

Work Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. “Why America Is the Only Rich Country Without Universal Health Care.” The Balance, The Balance, 13 Mar. 2020

Anderson, Gerard, et al. “U.S. Health Care Spending Highest Among Developed Countries.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 8 Jan. 2019

Hutchinson, Michael, and Edward Eichhorn. “Why Medicare-for-All Is Not Good for America.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 26 Apr. 2019, 

Montgomery, Kelly. “Difference Between Universal Coverage and a Single-Payer System.” Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 22 Feb. 2020

LITERATURE NARRATIVE

For a lot of people, their journey to learning how to read and write is most likely a linear path with a few obstacles that eventually leads them to gain the ability, but for me, the road was a lot more strenuous. I can recall my mother recounting some of my earlier experiences with reading. She vividly described the myriad of tricks I employed in order to mask my inability to read, one tool I often utilized involved memorizing the words giving to me rather than actually reading them, safe to say my game of deception didn’t fool her. My inability to read at the required level left me highly frustrated, I could not comprehend the reasoning behind my struggles especially since I was putting in the effort. Furthermore, the ability to read is a prerequisite to writing, so logically my poor performance in the former affected the latter. 

It’s safe to say remembering my experiences in my early English classes are a dreaded undertaking that I try my best to stray far away from. A paralyzing fear would engulf my body whenever the teacher read aloud knowing that they could very well call on me to continue on their behalf, that lingering fear made the whole process even more anxiety-inducing. Needing the teacher to come over and read to you or asking your classmates made my existence inside a classroom unbearable. It’s hard to feel adequate when everyone around you seems to easily master a skill that eluded me. Like any struggle we encounter in life, we try our best to cope with the situation, and that’s what I initially did, enough to scrape by to the next grade. But as you go up a grade, the requirements increase and your weakness becomes more glaring. 

I came to realize that one cannot forever run away from their problems, they will always be there, you can create a small gap but it will inevitably catch up to you. I took the initiative, asked my mother for a library card, put my head down, and started grinding away at it. It took lots of effort, discipline, and practice, but I had a burning desire to fuel me along the way. I learned that success isn’t earned without an input of concentrated clear effort. The end product of my being able to read at the same level as my peers. A losing battle finally overturned. However, my love of reading did not come until my school challenged the student to read ten books over the summer in exchange for a desirable prize. I took on the challenge for myself, and the prize of course. I ended up being so consumed and entrenched within the books I was reading that ten books did not suffice, I ended up reading 15. It was clear that the schools’ challenge was on the back foot and my new found love reading was made clear to me. Consequently my writing skills catapulted as well. 

In retrospect, I look back at my complicated relationships with literature as character building. I’ve only recently realized that I might have been too harsh on my self-evaluation, I hadn’t considered the fact that English was once an alien language to me and it just took me a while to acclimatize to it, even though my oral mastery of the language was perfect. The struggle of learning how to read has taught me how to persevere and face my fears head-on. It has also taught me that sometimes your current situation may be caused by circumstances beyond your control, but one must accept the situation for what it is and work vigorously to shape it in the form the which to see.