Universal healthcare is a system in which the government helps pay for medical expenses of its citizens. This type of care comes with some benefits to citizens as well as a few drawbacks. The universal health care system is paid for with tax dollars provided by the citizens and allows those citizens to obtain free health care as needed.
Government Provided
Universal healthcare is provided by the government of the country in which the system is used. Many countries use this type of healthcare system including Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Some of the universal healthcare systems provide completely free care to the citizens while others require the citizens to purchase health insurance from a list of insurance providers. With the insurance system, some countries subsidize households that make below a certain amount of money.
Taxes
Since the government of the country with the universal healthcare system pays for the care, taxes fund this system. With the countries who offer free healthcare to all of its citizens, the entire program is funded with tax money. With programs that require citizens to buy insurance, taxes fund the subsidizations that go out to those who have low incomes. In some cases, this leads to higher taxes in order to fund the system for the citizens. Peter J. Ferrara's report in the Heartland Institute summarized that "nationalizing health insurance in America would require major tax increases, slow economic growth, and increase the national debt."
Continuity
One of the benefits of universal healthcare is that it can provide continuity of insurance coverage for citizens. Without this type of system, it is not uncommon for citizens to lose their insurance coverage if they lose their job or quit. With universal healthcare, the insurance coverage will always be there regardless of where you work. This type of coverage can provide continuity and it will eliminate the need for insurance companies to worry about pre-existing conditions or other similar restrictions.
Costs
A study cited by the University of Dayton website examined the health care system in China. The study concluded that the implementation of the program resulted in a more equitable distribution of primary care services and reduced the cost through utilization of clinics over emergency rooms." This means that more people used the available medical clinics instead of trying to use the emergency room for routine medical needs. This had the effect of lowering costs for the country as a whole and making healthcare more affordable for the poor.
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