Should the United States provide free health care to all American citizens?
Jose Leon
Florida National University
English Composition II
Ivan Santana
October 13, 2024
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Should the United States Provide Free Healthcare to All American Citizens?
Accordingly, health care in the United States is a contentious issue because millions of its
citizens must seek medical services at affordable costs. Growing healthcare costs, coupled with
inequities in coverage and care, have heightened the decibel levels on the rhetorical question of
whether free healthcare provided by the U.S. government to all its citizens is, in fact, a
contentious issue. Some developed countries like Canada and England have a universal health
care system paid through taxes wherein all citizens are covered in case of medical services. In
essence, proponents say that free health care would eliminate financial barriers to health,
improve public health outcomes, and, therefore, ultimately decrease the cost of care because of
greater preventive measures.
Improved Public Health Outcomes
A major reason why free health care should be provided by the United States to its
citizens is so that people will exhibit much better health outcomes. As it stands now, far too
many people in America avoid medical care because of high doctor visits, prescription
medication, and treatment costs. This leads to situations where delays in seeking care make the
ailment worse, leading to worse outcomes with higher, long-term healthcare costs. The
Commonwealth Fund says studies show that countries with universal health systems consistently
report better health outcomes, lower infant mortality rates, and increased life expectancy. It
would also lead to a healthier population if there were no more financial barriers to seeking care,
particularly preventive care through vaccinations and regular checkups.
Financial Relief for Low- and Middle-Income Families
Another critical advantage of a government-funded healthcare system relates to the
financial easement it will provide to low- and middle-income families. Most consider healthcare
to be a true financial burden upon themselves: many must go into medical debt for certain
procedures, while others simply avoid such treatment. According to the Kaiser Family
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Foundation, approximately one-third of Americans struggle to pay medical bills, with many
forced to choose between healthcare and other essential expenses, such as housing or food (KFF,
2022). Providing free healthcare would alleviate these financial pressures, allowing individuals
to access necessary medical services without fear of financial ruin. This would also be more
economically secure, since it further prevents medically caused bankruptcy-a condition that still
occurs today.
Reduced Overall Healthcare Costs
Free health care would also tend to lower overall health expenditures long-term. While
critics could argue that a government-run program necessarily raises taxes, the evidence suggests
that these programs, overtime, save money via reductions in administrative costs, as well as an
emphasis on preventative care. The multi-payer system, with its elaborate private insurance,
billing, and bureaucracy, makes the United States health care one of the most expensive in the
world to account for the administrative cost. While countries like Sweden and Norway, under a
single-payer system, may invest less money in administrative expenditures. According to Cai et
al., 2021, because the system is prevention-oriented rather than treatment-oriented, many
emergency care cases will be reduced and chronic diseases managed effectively. Over time, this
would eventually amount to considerable savings for both the individual and the government.
Counterargument
Opponents would generally cite an undue expense to taxpayers along with an overall loss
in quality "Using the government to control the system will lead to long waits to receive surgical
procedures and eliminate the incentive to innovate the healthcare industry" this argument does
not address the current inefficiencies and inequities of the system. While true that taxes would go
up to pay for it, the obvious benefits derived due to universal access far outweigh the cost. But
again, most of the countries with free health systems do not continuously report worse outcomes
or stagnation in innovation; in fact, many of those countries rank considerably higher in the
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quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction compared to the United States (Schneider et al.,
2021). Hence, though the question of cost and quality is at stake, it is not an unsurpassable
obstacle, more so when weighed against the ethical imperatives of providing health care to all
citizens.
Conclusion
Finally, free healthcare for all citizens is not only a right-minded necessity but also a
great way to solve most of the problems that affect the existing healthcare systems. Healthcare
funded by the government would be able to offer several advantages: improvement of public
health, undisturbed family budgets, and lower healthcare costs to individuals and society in
general. Valid concerns about the cost and mechanics of such a system no doubt exist; these need
not preclude a workable solution if thoughtful policy design and international cooperation can be
brought to bear upon them. The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world so it
can take on full responsibility for making sure all its citizens have the healthcare they need.
References
Cai, C., Runte, J., Ostrer, I., Berry, K., Ponce, N., & Chung, P. J. (2021). Projected costs of
single-payer healthcare financing in the United States: A systematic review of economic
analyses. PLOS Medicine, 18(1), e1003529. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.
1003529
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Kaiser Family Foundation. (2022). Americans’ challenges with health care
costs. KFF. https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-
health-care-costs/
Schneider, E. C., Sarnak, D. O., Squires, D., Shah, A., & Doty, M. M. (2021). Mirror, mirror
2021—Reflecting poorly: Health care in the U.S. compared to other high-income
countries. Commonwealth Fund. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-
reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly
Tikkanen, R., & Abrams, M. K. (2020). U.S. health care from a global perspective, 2020: Higher
spending, worse outcomes? Commonwealth
Fund. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/jan/us-health-
care-global-perspective-2020
World Health Organization. (2020). Universal health
coverage. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-
coverage-(uhc)
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