Universal health care makes medical services available to more individuals.
The philosophy of universal health care is that everyone in society should have easy access to affordable, quality medical care. The primary difference from private health care is that government is in some way involved in a universal health care program. But while government might mandate or regulate a universal health care program, often it is not directly involved in the actual delivery of health care services to the public.
Funding
The general public finances a universal health care system. In some cases, citizens may be required to purchase compulsory health insurance. Other universal health care programs are structured so that medical costs are paid for through public taxes. Some programs are funded by a combination of health insurance premiums and revenues collected through taxation. Depending on how a program is organized, some health care costs are paid for by the patient, while others are paid for by universal health insurance.
Benefits of Universal Health Care
According to Physicians for a National Health Care Program (PNHCP), administrative costs consume 31 percent of the dollars that Americans spend on health care. The money that could be saved on the costs of underwriting, marketing, sales, billing and overhead could total more than $350 billion annually. In light of these costs, the PNHCP maintains that all Americans would be covered for medically necessary services under a single-payer system. Services would include doctor, hospital, prescription drugs, dental, vision, preventive care, mental health and long-term care. Doctors would either receive a salary from a hospital or nonprofit HMO or be paid on a fee-for-service basis. Costs would be controlled through negotiated fees and formularies, and hospitals would be allocated a global budget for operating expenses and for purchasing medical equipment and supplies in bulk.
Socialized Medicine
Socialized medicine is often described as a system of health care that is publicly financed but administered by government. In a system of socialized medicine, government may operate the health care facilities, as well as employ the health care professionals. Socialized health care is also sometimes described as a system either partially or totally funded by government taxes, although services may be delivered by private health care providers. There is an argument about whether health care in the United States (where there is presently a free-market system) should be run as a for-profit industry rather than relying on public programs.
Disadvantages of Universal Health Care
One argument against universal health care is that it would discourage competition, often seen as the driving force for new research and innovation. The concern is that there might be fewer medical breakthroughs, primarily because when you take away a company's potential for earning profits, investors aren't likely to invest. Another thing to consider is that universal health care will mean increased taxes, whether for the average American, corporate America or both. The American Medical Association (AMA) makes the point that public health insurance might not be the best way to lower growing health care costs. Instead the AMA believes that driving private insurers out of the health insurance market would likely increase health insurance costs. The increased costs would then be passed on to the nation's taxpayers.
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