Is it Time for the United States to Transition to Universal Healthcare?
November, 14th, 2020. 3:36PM (PST), Saturday
Op-ed written by: Kevin J.
The Coronavirus pandemic has dominated international conversations about health practices and has unveiled criticism of government responses in their efforts to restore a semblance of normalcy. This renewed interest in health practices and responses presents a unique opportunity to compare healthcare systems across the U.S., Mexico, and South Korea and to bring forth conversations about differences in Health Care and its subsequent findings. I remember watching my mother in her mid 60’s having to pay upwards of $300 for routine health check ups because of a lack of health insurance. The pursuit of good health at that moment was a luxury she couldn’t afford in America’s healthcare system. It is absurd in this day and age for a first world country like the USA to not have universal healthcare! This leads to many problems that affect poorer communities and people of color who cannot afford health insurance and is ultimately a detriment to us all.
The Census (U.S.) shows that 92% of Americans have health insurance coverage.
Coverage in the United States is split between federal/public and privately funded plans with the government subsidizing and aiding those who are low income, youth & elderly, and disabled. Those who have private insurance at 68% double their counterparts who benefit from public coverage (U.S. Census). This contrasts with South Korea’s and Mexico’s universal health care system where all citizens are covered if they do not have health insurance from their employers or from the private sector. Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has mandated universal healthcare at the beginning of 2020 while South Korea’s National Health Insurance agency requires registration by Korean residents; meanwhile, the U.S. continues to struggle over basic universal healthcare while turning a blind eye to soaring privatized healthcare costs. The difference in priorities among the legislative bodies of each country is also reflected in government responses to Coronavirus and supports why the U.S. has the most Covid-19 cases and deaths. Universal Health, funding for routine and preventative measures, and general citizen livelihood in the U.S. has turned into issues of partisanship and political battles that neither party would like to cooperate on. Even now, funding to eradicate Coronavirus through contact tracing and other measures are being questioned and it is difficult for bipartisan support and solutions to be reached.
Not only does the US not have universal healthcare, the government itself funnels so many thousands into spending per person without any substantial results! Regarding life expectancy, there appears to be a correlation between annual government healthcare spending per capita (per individual), with the evidence loosely supporting more spending with increased life expectancy. Mexico’s government spending per capita stands at the lowest among U.S. and South Korea and they also have the lowest life expectancy out of the 3 countries. The U.S. government spends the most per capita in the world at a staggering $9536 (USD) and has a life expectancy of 78.54 years. Interestingly, South Korea has the highest life expectancy of the 3 countries at 82.63 years with their government spending about ⅕ of what the US spends per person. This brings into question the efficacy of U.S. healthcare as they spent 17x more than Mexico per individual; however, the life expectancy between the U.S. and Mexico only had a difference of less than 4 years. Not only that, South Korea spends about ⅕ of what the U.S. spends and they have a longer life expectancy of 4 more years! Where is the money that the U.S. spends on healthcare going towards? It is preposterous that The U.S. spends that much per capita on health insurance without the results to back up this funding. This brings to attention the monetization of healthcare in the U.S. which places the financial burden on the American people. Compared to Mexico and South Korea, America’s lack of political support when it comes to controlling physician, drug, and inpatient/outpatient costs is a reason why government spending is so high as they are forced to subsidize what the public cannot afford. Even with the Affordable Care Act, it only focused on providing healthcare but left the price gouging and soaring costs for the private sector to decide.
There are still 8% of the U.S.’s population who remain uninsured which stands at 27.9 Million people. Universal health care would not only provide services for all Americans but would also lower existing costs for doctor appointments among other services. It would regulate insurance companies and the private sector ultimately putting Americans first instead of the companies that profit off hardship and ill-health. The templates for universal healthcare already exist in this world, proven by South Korea and Mexico who show the effectiveness of the aforementioned system. However, a change in the healthcare system would require a change in national consciousness and conversation of what we as Americans prioritize and wish to see enacted by our government. Until the day arrives, we will continue to push and fight for #Health4All as legislation that can replace and protect the uninsured and American public.