Universal healthcare would eliminate middlemen in the healthcare system that make healthcare inaccessible to the poor. Extra costs on the part of employers in terms of medical cover for their employees would be reduced. It would also save patients the agony of being dodged from one place to the next as involved parties try to avoid liabilities. Middlemen increase the cost of health insurance and at the end of the day healthcare becomes unaffordable to very many Americans. Opponents of universal healthcare argue that it would result to long queues as people would seek medical consultation even when they are not in dire need.
Those who need it most may end up being denied the chance due to the long queue arising due to the fact that medical care is free. It may therefore fail to serve the patients as intended especially when large queues exist. Testing and surgery can be negatively affected as people are forced to wait a period by which adverse effects of the disease can be faced. In response to these concerns supporters of universal health care argue that efficiency can be maintained if prior booking can be adapted. Embracing modern technology especially the information technology can ensure that people do their bookings online.
Efficiency in this system will call for an investment in quality technology, which the opponents argue, will be a costly venture for the government. Provision of universal health care can be very expensive especially if it is to provide quality healthcare. In most cases government involvement in any sector results to much inefficiencies and this could be an issue if universal healthcare was to be implemented. The decision making process is delayed as it involves various parties and much bureaucracies hinders swift reaction to situation.
There is need to ensure that accountability is done to ensure that efficiency is enhanced. Doctors in a private based environment would be motivated by the profits they make from attending to patients. Since doctors in a universal healthcare system lack such incentives there are fears they may practice with laxity. To motivate such doctors the government may be forced to incur extra costs. With the establishment of universal healthcare the patient turnout levels would rise and the doctors would be faced by work overload.
To reduce patient overcrowding or work overload for the doctors there would be need for more establishment as well as increased doctors all of which would be at a cost. Maintaining quality care in the face of universal based healthcare would be lead to an increase in government expenditure. With bad governance universal healthcare is subject to fail in reaching at the intended objectives. Effective training on leadership is vital in ensuring that healthcare officials as well as government officials set viable goals or objectives.
Change of government could affect the provision of universal healthcare in U. S. It requires effective coordination of relevant bodies or sectors to be efficient. Work overload for the doctors would demoralize them and this could compromise the quality of care provided. (www. econedlink. org). Government involvement is linked to reduced innovation and it’s upon the government to ensure that the healthcare provided meets the market standards. Adapting to new technologies is an issue in universal health care systems as it also takes many parties to be verified.
When politicized the appropriate technology could be forfeited. The process of formal appraisal may involve evaluation of efficacy and cost effectiveness, which would take time to be verified. This is in contrary to private practice where people are ready and wiling to take the risks involved in new technologies as they arise. Introduction of universal healthcare system in U. S today would see many private insurance companies out of business and consequently loss of jobs. It would also lead to increased taxes to finance it and this would have negative effects on the public.
Universal health care protects the citizens from exploitation that could arise from the existence of monopolistic health care providers. U. S has adequate resources needed to provide universal health care. Administering universal healthcare would be cheaper than through private healthcare system administration costs would be reduced as purchasing medication would be done in bulk and they could get discounts. Universal health care would ensure that people do not need to worry about co-payments or healthcare coverage. The poor or unemployed would have access to quality healthcare like the rest of the population.
Opponents of universal healthcare could just be concerned about the fact that it would be a socialistic approach where as in America capitalism is highly valued. There are also concerns that the salaries of healthcare workers may be reduced so that the government can afford to pay the high numbers. A decrease in the wage may further work to demoralize the workers and hence compromise the quality of care provided. Quality of care offered should not be subjected to one’s ability to pay or economic well being. On the contrary all people should get care depending on their needs.
Without innovation that arises from competition, doctors may be reluctant when universal health care is provided. Again, healthcare a vital issue and when made universal it could be competing with other government programs and chances are that there could be reduced finances to cater for all the requirements. Measures that could be selected to ensure that the government is able to cater for the required needs would include cutting down of highly technological and experimental procedures whose resultant effects may not be positive on the quality of care offered.
Funding may have to be channeled on one aspect for instance primary or basic health care at the expense of other conditions like mental health and rare diseases. (www. econedlink. org). People in most need of healthcare insurance may be denied its access for instance sickly employee may loose their job and hence lack the means of getting their healthcare paid for by their employees.
References: National Council on Economic Education The Price We Pay for Health: US and Canada. Retrieved on 19th March 2008 from http://www. econedlink. org/? a=535 United Nation’s universal declaration of human rights. Chapter 25.
Retrieved on 19th March 2008 from http://www. unhchr. ch/udhr/lang/eng. htm Bernard Brock. 2005. Making Sense of Political Ideology: The Power of Language in Democracy. Rowman & Littlefield. Gunnar Almgren. 2006. Health Care Politics, Policy and Services: A Social Justice Analysis. Springer Publishing. Place MD. 2005. The health care crisis: as the number of uninsured grows, the money disappears. America (NY). Cook D. 2004. Medicaid’s future foretold by Medicare Modernization Act. Journal of medical Association. Coon J. 2004. Health and health care in the United States: an insufficiently important policy issue?