Universal Healthcare
The American people can’t afford health insurance because our government isn’t helping them. American children are discouraged from playing their favorite sports out of fear of getting injured and not being able to afford medical help. If children get sick, they often go to school and suck it up because their parents might be unable to take them to the doctor. No running around, no climbing trees, and no swimming!
Over three million people in the U.S. have this problem, meaning 1 out of 100 people in the U.S. might be scared of being injured or sick. 5.4% of children in America are uninsured. One day, I was checking out at the doctor with my mom. When we were asked to pay a fee, I was confused, so I asked my mom, “But doesn’t insurance cover it?” She said, “Some of it, but you still have to pay for insurance!” I was shocked. The medical insurance plan we pay for doesn’t even cover all of our healthcare needs.
Another time, I was at Walgreens, picking up my inhaler, when I found out we had to pay a deductible because we had recently changed insurance plans. Again, I was confused. Apparently, before insurance pays for your healthcare needs, you have to pay a certain amount of money on what insurance would normally cover. Though insurances are different, they all have deductibles that can reach thousands of dollars!
Not only do we have to pay for our own healthcare, but also, per person, the US spends twice the amount of money on healthcare than Germany, and four times that of South Korea.
It should be noted that every single person, healthy or not healthy, old or young, rich or poor, could be using the millions of dollars they spend on healthcare for them and their families. From food and housing to travel and vacations to donating to education, money should be spent on those things, not struggling to pay medical bills. Because healthcare is financially burdening millions of American citizens, it inhibits our nation’s ability to fix other issues.
Additionally, spending almost $13,000 a year on health insurance also heavily burdens the lower and middle classes. Since citizens already have expensive monthly bills that they can’t afford, they have to choose between avoiding spending money on health care or not being able to spend enough on their families.
For much of the U.S., going to the doctor is a privilege. One could be considered lucky to be admitted into a private hospital, where they are guaranteed adequate healthcare. I believe that healthcare is a basic human right, just like food or water. We should not have to rely on our own financial status to determine whether we can be healthy or not. Our society has essentially decided that people should just die because they can’t afford healthcare. Wealthy should not equal healthy.
Something needs to change in America. People should not worry financially when they get sick. The human right to medical care should not depend on income and employment status or whether a job offers healthcare or not. We as Americans should not struggle to pay for our health. Educate yourself and others — or just move to Denmark.