Although some 70-80% of Americans are in support of universal or federally-funded insurance/healthcare, the United States remains the only industrialized country without universal healthcare. Additionally, what is considered "universal healthcare" varies among each country's healthcare operations.
Britannica hosts a very detailed page on Universal Health Care, it's history, pros, cons, and arguments for or against it's implementation.
Pros include:
- Higher life expectancy, lower child mortality, reduced depression, and better general well-being, as it encourages more use of preventive care.
- Lower or eliminated insurance premiums and reduced medical bankruptcy.
- Greater focus on public health policies, healthier behaviors, and community well-being.
Cons include:
- Higher taxes and government spending, with working class families being burdened with tax increases depending on the model used.
- Potentially longer waits for appointments and elective procedures, as demand may outweigh available staff, space, and supplies.
- Quality of medical care could decline under decreased budget, as paying providers at lower government rates may put a strain on hospitals.
The issue of universal healthcare in America is a long and complex one. I have found that NPR's podcast, "The Everlasting Problem," offers a great history lesson behind the current state of things:
"Health insurance for millions of Americans is dependent on their jobs. But it's not like that everywhere. So, how did the U.S. end up with such a fragile system that leaves so many vulnerable or with no health insurance at all? On this episode, how a temporary solution created an everlasting problem."
That temporary solution being employers offering health insurance benefits to attract workers during World War II. These benefits were meant to just be a quick fix to support workers and not part of a national plan for universal coverage. After the war, political choices set employer-based insurance as the main form of healthcare coverage. So now, what was meant as just a band-aid solution during wartime became the foundation for our current health insurance system.
Many of us in America work towards a shared mission of achieving universal healthcare for pets, but being so far behind other countries when it comes to healthcare just for ourselves can be very harrowing to think about!
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Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Program for Pet Health Equity
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