What is universal healthcare? Universal healthcare is defined as a system that provides quality medical services to all citizens with the federal government offering it to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.(Amadeo, Kimberly, Universal Healthcare in Different Countries, Pros and Cons of Each, The Balance) We need the help of our government to see that its citizens are taken care of. As a healthcare worker, I have seen the failures in the system and it would be so beneficial if everyone was offered the same standard of care. Our emergency rooms are often misused by individuals that could have been seen in a primary care setting, however due to the lack of insurance or ability to pay, they resort to using the ER as their primary care physician. Having a universal system would provide ALL patients with the same standard of care. Matthias Mullenbeck gave a talk in which he tells us that if you go to a doctor in the U.S you have a significant chance of being subjected to a surgical intervention without there being an immediate need for that intervention. How is this possible? He believes that due to the incentives of pay, practitioners do high paying procedures because there are not any incentives for other treatment plans.

Do you think that health care is a human right? Mary Gerisch a retired attorney and healthcare advocate stated in an article that our country has a system that is designed to deny, not support, the right to health. Health insurance companies make money by denying claims for care while they are still collecting premiums from the individual. Imposition of premiums, deductibles and co-pays is discriminatory. (Mary Gerisch, Health Care as a Human Right, American Bar Association) I find it difficult to argue with her, as would many other U.S. citizens. Do you live in a state that hasn’t expanded its Medicaid eligibility? How is it affecting you or your loved ones?

I believe that often in the U.S. we are fed misleading information to sway our thoughts on universal healthcare. People often argue that we would have such a tax increase that we wouldn’t be able to bear the cost or that the government would have to spend too much money to cover all the costs. These people have also never experienced universal healthcare firsthand. I was lucky enough to get to interview a Canadian resident, who was happy to talk about his personal experience with universal healthcare. He was about to provide me with great information that I would also like to share with you.

Mr. Syms who is a resident in Canada, told me that anyone including himself who had any sort of health concern, could have it addressed without any worry about direct and disproportionate economic consequences. He stated that a person doesn’t have to choose between seeing a doctor and having money to feed their children. One of the misconceptions about tax money being unaffordable was addressed saying while they all contribute to the system through taxes, that cost feels invisible and they don’t even really think about it. Another concern that is often brought up in debates is that the healthy people have to pay the cost of the sick. Mr. Syms says that joining the ranks of the sickest is often preventable, since people can get routine medical care that can detect and prevent small issues from turning into big ones. My interviewee wanted to talk to me about wait times. Anytime he speaks with Americans who are ideologically against the universal healthcare system, he said the first thing they bring up are the wait times. Sometimes there are wait times, but not really for issues that were urgent. The system triages based on needs, and as far as real-time emergencies, anyone can go to the ER and get free care anytime the need it. When asked if he thought that universal healthcare could work in the U.S., he responded by saying yes, it could work fine, especially if the propaganda from powerful lobby groups were shut down. It works in every country that has it. No one in the Canadian healthcare system is ever disqualified from coverage, how great would it be to have that in the U.S.?

I fully support the United States converting to a universal healthcare system and I don’t understand why we don’t already have it! Please leave your feedback in the comment section, I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue.