It is the government’s duty to make sure that their citizens are well taken care of. This responsibility can be manifested in a lot of ways. Providing national security, good education, benefits for retirement, construction of public works and highways, social security (as providing loans with little interests for housing, etc. ) and the list can go on and on. After, citizens may want to see where their income taxes are going and they better be spent in proper things. One of the most important aspects in one’s life is its health.
For the health of an individual enables him to work, make money and achieve his dream. Hence, the saying health is wealth. Aside from social security, the government currently focuses on changing the insurance system which will provide health insurance for every citizen. Will this idea benefit more people? Or will this system create more damage to inequality that has been happening for some time? To begin with, what is health insurance anyway? Health insurance is generally the term used to describe a kind of insurance which covers medical expenses.
This may be offered by the government or private firms (some companies provide health insurance to their employees). It may be acquired individually or by group basis (as some insurance companies offer good packages for those who would avail in big bulk such as companies). In whichever case, the individuals or groups disburse taxes or premiums that will help themselves paying high medical expenses when an accident or illness occurs. Such benefits may also be provided by the government but up to now, only a few can savor this restricted advantage.
So how does health insurance work? The health insurance company develops a routine finance structure such as premiums and taxes. It estimates the overall risk of possible healthcare services and bases their fees with these. A central administration (can be a private, not-for-profit or government) takes care of the benefits section (De Long 23). A recurrent political issue has been repeatedly discussed for a few years. This will give every citizen health insurance. Sixteen percent of the population of the United States or about 47 million don’t have health insurance in 2006.
For a country with a wealth like United States, that number is huge and bothering at the same time. It is just absurd that the United States takes more than a decade to discuss the national health insurance plan while it spends billions of dollars in weapons for killing. According to the United States Census Bureau, only 27% of the Americans obtain their health insurance from the government. And that figure may have had some overlapping for the reason that the benefits are not fully covered by the government. More often, benefits are given in partnership with a private firm (Brewer & Suchen 30).
The idea of having a national health insurance is no doubt a good idea as it will definitely give chance to the poorer and ill Americans to prolong their lives. In a country where medical expenses are very costly, the U. S. government is absolutely responsible for making its citizens’ lives easier if it can not lower the cost of medical expenses. Probably the main hindrance in this wonderful plan is the high risk that comes with it. A lot of insurance firms have gone bankrupt or have involved themselves in scams and the government may be taking a closer look to what went wrong with these companies.
Another point to consider is the qualification of those who can have the health insurance. Yes, the plan is to give every American a health insurance but that is just too good to be true. How about the beggars? the unemployed? These are the people who do not and can not pay taxes. Do they deserve to have health insurance as well? Do their conditions make them less deserving of covered medical expenses? Providing health insurance to the whole country is definitely not a joke. This will entail a flawless plan, administration and a lot of funds.
Indeed, there are many things that the government still needs to consider in implementing national health insurance. To plan for your country is good. But to make these plans materialize is another.
Works Cited
Brewer, Cynthia A. & Suchan, Trudy A. “Mapping Census 2007: The Geography of U. S. Diversity. ” Washington: United States Bureau of the Census, 2007, pp. 30-38. De Long, J. Bradford. “Cornucopia: The Pace of Economic Growth in the Twentieth Century. ” NBER Working Paper No. 7602. March 2002.