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Universal Healthcare:

Socialized Medicine in the United States of America

Karmen A. Ali

Prairie View A&M University

October 14, 2010

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Universal Healthcare:

Socialized Medicine in the United States of America

Socialized medicine is the term used in the United States referring to publicly funded

healthcare. Publicly funded healthcare is funded by the government and is available to all

citizens. The funds used for this healthcare is obtained by taxation or national insurance

[ CITATION Cla01 \l 1033 ]. The United States does not have a socialized healthcare system but

instead has private insurance agencies which we apply to and pay for individually. The problem

with American insurance agencies is that it citizens with preexisting conditions are often turned

down and those who are accepted still have trouble paying medical bills. The United States of

America should develop some type of socialized healthcare system for its citizens. We recently

have had a healthcare bill pass and have yet to see noticeable differences in the way our

healthcare system works.

Healthcare has been a big issue in American politics for many years now. Everyone

wants healthcare coverage but no one wants to pay for it. This is a common problem

concerning all government reform, everyone wants change but no one wants to pay for it.

There are 47 million or 15.8 percent uninsured citizens in the United States (2008), that’s 5

percent more than there was in 2005[ CITATION Joh08 \l 1033 ]. Uninsured rates are rising

drastically and no one wants to do anything about it. Private insurance companies such as Blue

Cross Blue Shield, CIGNA, and Aetna are very hard to get accepted into. You will most likely be

denied if you have any preexisting conditions which can include asthma, pregnancy, Down
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syndrome, heart disease and hundreds more. If you do get approved for the private insurance,

you may be charged a higher premium, have a longer waiting period before coverage starts,

and/or have to pay more out of pocket expenses. For example, if a patient that has heart

disease receives treatment, he still may have to pay for it even though he has insurance. The

insurance companies are looking to save as much money as possible. These privately owned

corporations are there to earn money, not to help you pay for your healthcare.

Some people argue that if we have a socialized system of healthcare, we will develop a

socialized system of government and eventually become a communist nation overall [ CITATION

Dav07 \l 1033 ]. We have a socialized mail system (i.e. United States Postal Service) and it hasn’t

cause chaos in our government yet. Our government will not become corrupt if we just help out

our citizens with their health care. We are behind other countries when it comes to healthcare.

Most industrialized countries have some sort of government sponsored healthcare. It’s a

problem when Americans are going to México and Canada for medical treatment when we are

supposed to have “the best government”.

The cost of care is another concern that some Americans and politicians have. If we

develop publicly funded health care, the public has to pay for it. No one wants higher taxes for

a number of reasons; one being that the unemployment rate is high and people need their

money. Most people are self-interested and do not see the need to help other citizens until

they are in their position. If we had publicly funded health care, money wouldn’t be an issue

versus the system we have now where people can receive special treatment just because they

have insurance.
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Quality of care is a huge concern for Americans. Some countries with publicly funded

healthcare offer low quality service but not all of them. Britain, France and Canada are perfect

examples of countries with successful socialized healthcare systems. Most of their citizens are

satisfied with their healthcare system while most Americans are dissatisfied. Life expectancy of

Americans ranked 24th out of all the countries while Canada, Sweden, France, and the UK all

ranked in the top ten[ CITATION Phi00 \l 1033 ]. Canada, Sweden, France and the UK all happen to

have successful systems of government funded healthcare.

Upper class medical workers such as doctors, surgeons, medical practitioners, etc are

against publicly funded healthcare just because they would receive their paychecks from the

government. The doctors who oppose socialized medicine are more concerned with making

profit instead of helping patients. Medical care professionals in countries with publicly funded

healthcare are not millionaires. The make a reasonable six figure salary depending on the

country. Those individuals are in healthcare because they want to honestly help the people, not

because they want to make money. It’s an American cliché to become a doctor or a surgeon

just for the money, it’s very common.

If we had a socialized system of healthcare, yes we would pay more taxes, but it would

be towards something positive unlike taxes for war which we will most likely not receive

benefits from. At least we would be able to actively use what we are paying for. All of the

commotion over being able to afford prescriptions, medical treatment, and medical equipment

would practically vanish. Medication and medical equipment would be a lot cheaper because

we wouldn’t be buying from big drug companies who only want to make money. Creating a
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system of publicly funded health care could be very successful if done properly in the citizens’

best interest.
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Works Cited
Claude Blanchette, E. T. (2001, February). PUBLIC- AND PRIVATE-SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN HEALTH-CARE
SYSTEMS. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from Government of Canada: http://dsp-
psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp438-e.htm

Greenberg, D. (2007, October 8). Who's Afraid of Socialized Medicine? Retrieved October 12, 2010, from Slate:
http://www.slate.com/id/2175477

Johnson, T. D. (2008, January 8). Census Bureau: Number of U.S. Uninsured Rises to 47 Million Americans are
Uninsured: Almost 5 Percent Increase Since 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from Medscape Today:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/567737

Philip Musgrove, A. C. (2000). The World Health Report. Geneva: Office of Publications.