| Doctors Debate Universal Health Care: Pros and Cons From the Experts |
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“Health insurance is expensive, and not everyone can afford it,” goes one argument. "The government should provide everyone with access to paid-for health care.” “That's not fair," goes the other. “For example, why should everyone have to pay for people who choose not to take care of themselves, such as smokers?” And the debate rages on, with many more pros and cons, facts and figures and ideologies making the details of each argument downright interesting and utterly important. We asked two doctors with strong opinions on the topic to share their side. Here’s what they had to say. You can get in on the debate here.
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Patrick Whelan, M.D, Ph.D., practicing rheumatologist, national executive director of Catholic Democrats (a public-advocacy organization) and Catholic member of the Democratic National Committee's Faith Advisory Council. How can there be a debate over whether universal health care is itself a desirable goal? A 2002 Institutes of Medicine study concluded that more than 18,000 Americans die every year because they’re uninsured. Some kind of health coverage for every citizen would mean fewer child deaths from asthma, fewer cancer deaths in minority communities and fewer veterans who depend on emergency rooms for their primary care. The real questions are how universal care would be paid for and who would decide levels of reimbursement The first myth concerns what universal health care is: a broad term that could mean anything from government financing (as in Medicare/Medicaid for all) to use of tax law to bring everyone into the private health-insurance system (as recently enacted in Massachusetts under Republican Governor Mitt Romney).
Two other myths about universal care are that doctors oppose it and that quality of care would suffer. But a plurality of physicians, particularly primary-care doctors, supports national health insurance. And there is now strong evidence that, even in developed countries with addiction problems like ours, universal coverage correlates with improved quality of health across the socioeconomic spectrum. Let the doctors come to you. Get articles like this in our free monthly newsletter. Against Against
John S. O’Shea, M.D., M.P.A., F.A.C.S., practicing general surgeon and former fellow with conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. America is often criticized for its lack of a universal health-care system comparable to the Europeans and Canadians, even though Germany, the United Kingdom and even Canada are increasingly turning to the private sector in order to relieve the financial burden on government and solve serious delivery problems, most notably “rationing by queue,” the prolonged wait times for many services, including cancer treatment and cardiac surgery. Compared to the private sector, government programs are inefficient, and the higher costs have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education, or even medical research and development. This is a tradeoff that most Americans would not be willing to make. If low-income persons find health-care coverage unaffordable, they should be subsidized by the government, but they should retain ultimate ownership of their health-care resources and the choice about how those resources will be utilized. Such patient ownership and choice will create the demand for price and quality transparency necessary to make value-based health-care decisions. The fundamental flaw in universal health-care systems is a misplacement of incentives. The decisions that drive health-care costs and quality of care are made by individual patients and their health-care providers. These decisions should not be influenced by universal government mandates, administered pricing systems or expenditure targets, but should instead be based on an adequately informed assessment by individual patients and their providers about the value of services in a particular clinical situation.
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Last updated and/or approved: May 2011. Original article appeared in Jan/Feb 2008 former print magazine. Bio current as of that issue. This general health-care information is not meant as individual advice. Please see our disclaimer.  Comments (189)
  written by henjon22 , March 27, 2012 There are many pro and con arguments about details for socialized medicine and I will leave that to others to debate. However, during these arguments it is brought forth that socialized medicine is fundamentally against the American way of life.... "one should not be required by the government to pay for something that one doesn't want". It seems to me that this question has been decided by the Social Security Act in the affirmative sense. What is the potential legal difference such that the US Supreme Court is addressing the issue for socialized medicine? report abuse
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 written by Rob , March 24, 2012 I don't believe that UHC would necessarily be inefficient. Take a look at the VA health system. It's considered one of the best and efficient health system in the world. I use it and I love it. report abuse
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 written by Walt , March 01, 2012 I like the idea of everybody getting health care. I DON'T like the idea of the government telling me how to run my life. I don't like the idea of them telling me I can't ride a motorcycle, or drive a fast car, or own a firearm because I might hurt myself because they think I'm too stupid. I've been taking care of myself for years, I don't need some Government bureaucrat telling me what's good for me. I have a job, I pay my bills. I am a veteran. I have access to the VA, but I don't use it because I pay my own way. Don't raise my bills to pay for somebody else's. Don't make me pay for somebody else's poor lifestyles. I already pay enough with my mandated car insurance, property taxes, sales tax, income tax, social security tax (which I'll never get to use because the Government is spending it on no-load occupier types because they're too stoned to be able to think about having a job much less keeping one). Those of you that don't have the responsibility of owning a career, (yes, I said OWNING) want to live off my back. You already live off your parents. Take the poor girl above that is overweight, but lives in her Mom's house, but doesn't have any health issues, but doesn't see a future because she owe's $20k because she had to get her gall bladder removed. HELLO!!! GALL BLADDER PROBLEMS CAN BE EXACERBATED BY BEING OBESE! You think the government isn't going to put restrictions on your everyday life to help curb the expense of treating your obesity? Think again. You're in your 30's!!! Take some responsibility! Get a life! "Sniff, sniff...but I'm tryin'! snivel, snivel...sob, sob..." Spare me! I can go to any doctor I want. I may have to pay a little extra, but when I had cancer, my PRIVATE surgeon, oncologist, and follow up physical therapy was all covered! That's because I paid my premiums and my co-pay It's true...my Veteran's health care plan is a little cheaper, but I earned what I'm getting, and I paid a much higher price than any non-vet can even imagine. It's not about the health care...it's about choice. It's about the Government sticking their nose into every aspect of your life to make sure your a good little citizen. If you let them control your healthcare, they will eventually control everything you do, where you go, how you get there, what you eat, where you stay, the clothes you wear. The control is already being seen in gas prices. How about travel? You want to fly? You have to get groped by the perv at the gate "for your own protection". "We're the government...we're going to take care of you. All you have to do is be a good little citizen." We've become too stupid to realize that what made this country what it is today was not government control, it was freedom. If you want to be good little communists, go ahead. I'll not participate. report abuse
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 written by Jazi girl , February 17, 2012 I get both sides of this but, I can only agree with one. As it stands now I'm 17 and I'm helping my mom fight our insurgence. We think she is developing cancer and our insurgence won't agree to pay for her to get a MRI. Our doctor and nurse are fighting as hard as we are but, they still insist not to approve it. That leaves my mom at home in pain and getting sick with only my 3 year old brother as my and my 14 year old brother are at school. It doesn't help she is a single mom trying to make ends meat. If we had universal health care I would be able to focus better on my important stuff; like school and preparing for college. Instead i have to leave my house worrying if my mom will be ok, or if I'm going to have to take care of my little brothers. It's just not right for me to have to worry about if my mom gets the health care she needs. report abuse
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 written by Eric , February 07, 2012 It's funny how people are so worried about paying all these extra taxes. 1. You already pay for other people's care. Like when someone without health insurance has to go to the emergency room and can't afford the bill that is many times what preventative care would be. Yeah, that is paid by tax payers. 2. You also already pay if you have to purchase it privately or your employer buys it. The insurance plans in the US are at least twice as much as they are in countries that have universal healthcare. Just because you don't see what you're employer has to pay for you, don't think that it isn't counted as part of your compensation. Bottom line, every other industrial nation has universal healthcare, provides it at less than half the price, and has better overall health outcomes. Please, don't give me any American exceptionalism on this, we've got it wrong because hospital and insurance lobbyists are making tons of money in the status quo and they're investing a good chunk of that money into brainwashing some of the fools who have posted here. report abuse
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 written by Jessica , December 01, 2011 Okay you guys are forgetting one major point, the money has 2 come from somewhere, and where is that coming out of our pockets and i am not supporting that! if there is no cost for anyone then people will go whenever they want and that is more money out of our pockets!!! answer me truthfully, if you did not have to pay would you go to the doctor for something that you did not necessarily need??? the threat of paying big money makes people try the natural remedies. on another point the hospitals would became more crowded and patients would not get the service that they would prefer. IDIOTS!!!! report abuse
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 written by Emma Quad , October 06, 2011 Although everyone deserves a chance (people with disabilities), the universal healthcare policy should NOT be passed. It will overwhelm doctors with more work, and their wages will decrease. I understand that being a doctor is for sure not all about the amount of money that you make but you also have to consider that they work hard, to be payed less? if it is passed. It's not fair to raise taxes to support universal healthcare, because you also have to understand the social classes of society, such as the wealthy class, middle class, and poor class. Right now the middle class is suffering through a major economic depression which is making them move into the poor class, which would never be able to support universal healthcare. Should there be some kind of more dependence on the "wealthy class" for these taxes? report abuse
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 written by S Simpson , October 05, 2011 I say bits and pieces are true but not all of them report abuse
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 written by Anne Frank , September 18, 2011 I'm a jew and I love Universal Healthcare because Hitler loves it too! No seriously, Hitler loves Universal Healthcare; he told me when I visited him in hell. report abuse
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 written by American Idiots The Movie Part 2 (coming soon!) , August 12, 2011 lol... this is hilarious!, the comments here are typical American patriot arrogant arguments. How many of you associated Healthcare with Socialism and Obama as soon as you read the word?... I say many!. This kind of mentality is what is crippling the USA, has anything been done correctly lately?... even your congressman's are showing the incompetence level to new heights, attaching some kind of socialism crap every time they have a chance for fear mongering and like @Joshua said: "Universal Healthcare will kill more people!" Let me tell you a little factor that you forgot in you post Joshua!. Wen you combine people that has universal healthcare and go regularly to the doc for check ups, getting diseases under control ON TIME!, then saving cost's and it's life by getting any decease ON TIME!, because he can visit their doc anytime they can without having to worry to pull $100.00. So!, regarding waiting lines, and people with Cancer that die because of late detection, that might be true to some extent(still I have a lot of Canadian friends, and not once to never they mention that!, actually!, they are quite PROUD of their healthcare) If you compare ALL the deceases that can be detected in time and put under control from REGULAR VISITS to the doctor with minimal costs(possible by UNH, by the way!) OUTWEIGHS ALL the people that can DIE due to waiting or late detection combined! if that's case!. So you see!, you will save more lives with Universal Healthcare than treating the decease for profits instead of PREVENTING IT!. Now!, whether you are lazy enough to NOT go to the doctor for regular check ups and wait until your about to die wen you have Universal Healthcare available, is an irresponsibility to care for your own self as an adult/Parent and it should not be use as an argument base for Universal Healthcare being the boogeyman. Goodnight!. report abuse
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