By Leyli Izadpanah, Reporter
The expense of modern-day healthcare weighs heavy on the average American’s wallet. The United States is one of the only high-income countries to lack a system that provides health and wellness to everyone. Dr. Amy Alspaugh, who has a PhD in nursing and works in the healthcare industry, states that, despite America’s high spending towards healthcare, the health of the population is increasingly worse when compared to countries with universal healthcare. Currently, there are millions of Americans who lack safe, affordable, and reliable access to healthcare, clearly showcasing how the commodification of healthcare in the U.S. is detrimental to the wellbeing of the population and the economy. Every American has experienced health problems, so why is it that the U.S. treats healthcare as something to be bought? The United States should implement universal healthcare as a human right that is available to every American.
Everyone deserves to have their health needs met without facing financial hardship. In 1946, the World Health Organization stated that health is a fundamental right of every human being regardless of socioeconomic factors, and this was further expanded upon by Article 12 of the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which states that every person has the right to the highest standard of health. This proves once again that the United States must treat healthcare as a necessity rather than a way to make money. If it weren’t for the health of the population, the foundation of the United States would collapse. Families struggle with high insurance premiums, medical debt, and even foregoing care because they cannot afford it. Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Dr. Robert Otto Valdez, states, “Even in families with incomes four or more times above the federal poverty level, financial strain due to healthcare was experienced by between 16 and 35 percent of adults”. These are average, middle-class Americans who are struggling to afford their own basic needs. The structure of Capitalism makes it difficult for people to realize that health does not have to be a commodity that people struggle tooth and nail to achieve, when it can be as simple as a necessary right that is guaranteed to everyone.
Not only does healthcare affect average Americans, it disproportionately impacts disabled people, people of color, and low-income people; the negative effects of the lack of universal healthcare are most evident in the most vulnerable communities. Low-income people are struggling daily to afford food, water, shelter, etc., and putting healthcare costs on top of that adds unnecessary financial strain that they aren’t equipped to deal with. A huge portion of this marginalized community is negatively affected financially and cannot afford care. Among poor families, 43-53 % face financial strain due to healthcare. This causes their overall health and wellness to be significantly lower than that of a higher income American. Similarly, people of color face extreme hardship in the current healthcare system. In the United States, a Black person is two times more likely than a white person to lose their health insurance in a year and a Hispanic person is three times more likely to lose coverage. Minorities face inequities in the current healthcare system that relies on financials and insurance to afford coverage. With universal healthcare, these communities would have more reliable access to the care they deserve. Studies show that people with disabilities are more likely to have poorer overall health and less access to adequate healthcare. Disabled people are more susceptible to health problems, conditions, and experience higher rates of poverty, all of which put them at risk when healthcare is not guaranteed. The implementation of universal healthcare will help prevent further health disparities.
Other countries have successfully provided universal healthcare and in turn positively impacted the health of many. For example, both the Swiss and Dutch healthcare systems are that of universal health coverage. Executive director of the department of economics at the University of Bern, Dr. Robert E. Leu, states that these systems have achieved patient choice, broad access, and low disparities and have some of the longest life expectancies in the world. Although there are still improvements to be made, both systems are extremely successful and provide a universal coverage that the United States can easily base their own from.
When looking at maternal morality rates among developed countries, which are highly connected with a country’s wealth and economic prosperity, Wager and Cox, authors of the Kaiser Family Foundation, identify that the United States is the outlier with the highest rate of pregnancy related deaths standing at 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. Compare this to the Netherlands and Switzerland, which both utilize universal healthcare, that have maternal mortality rates of 1.2 deaths per 100,000 live births; less than a tenth of the United States’ rate. Due to the United States’ inadequate maternity care that not everyone has access to, the maternal mortality rate has skyrocketed. By looking at comparable countries, an undeniable pattern can be observed; countries with universal healthcare consistently have significantly less deaths per births.
The Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 report comparing healthcare performance among ten nations concludes that the United States is a continual outlier in the underperformance and overspending of its health care sector. Though still imperfect, other developed countries have much better healthcare than America. All nine nations other than the United States have universal coverage and, at the minimum, meet their resident’s basic healthcare needs. In the report, the United States ranks last in access to care and health outcomes and 9th out of the 10 nations in equity and administrative efficiency. These results further reiterate the importance of quality universal healthcare. The United States can learn from the top performing countries (Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), which all have some form of universal health coverage.
Some may argue that universal healthcare will be too costly and have a negative effect on the economy, but, this is far from the truth. Universal healthcare will positively impact the health needs of many and prevent spread of disease, and as a result, the economy will thrive and the costs of preventative care will in turn be significantly less. The current healthcare system leads to preventable deaths and excessive costs, as evidenced by COVID-19, an eye-opening tragedy that portrayed just how deep health disparities run in America. In fact, founding director of the Yale Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis, Dr. Allison Galvani’s study detailing Insurance enrollment, excess deaths, and years of life lost states that a universal healthcare system would have saved 212,000 lives in 2020 alone. It also could have saved the U.S. from $105.6 billion in medical expenses associated with COVID-19 hospitalization. The United States currently spends the most on healthcare than any other country, resulting in inequitable access, insufficient care, and minimal health. Let Covid be the last pandemic of its kind that the United States endures so many preventable deaths.
Universal care will save lives and avoid unnecessary costs. Because universal care would force the government to pay for treatments associated with preventable diseases, the government will be more incentivized to offer prevention plans and promote preventative efforts. The costs of an unwell population will be largely reduced by these preventative measures. Dr. Gabriel Zieff, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow, writes, “investing USD 10 per person annually in community-based programs aimed at combatting physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and smoking in the U.S. could save more than USD 16 billion annually within five years.” Therefore, these simple measures that universal healthcare will generate are of immense importance to the economy and general welfare of the population and will provide more opportunities for small businesses to thrive. Without the limitations of struggling to pay for health insurance, these essential businesses will have more changes to succeed and take risks. These businesses are the backbone of American commerce and helping them will greatly help America’s economy as a whole.
Healthcare is a huge debate topic in America. Health is something that is constantly changing and sometimes can’t be controlled. No one should be faced with the choice between affording dinner or a desperately needed doctor’s appointment. Universal healthcare will reduce health disparities, promote a healthy public, and reduce costs associated with healthcare; overall, universal healthcare is a human right and should be treated as such. Being favorable to everyone, Americans consistently vote against universal care when choosing politicians. It’s up to the American people to prioritize their health and realize the significance healthcare plays in the overall wellness of the United States.
