Opinion: Universal healthcare in U.S or Iraq?
November 29th, 2007 4:56 pm by Jason B.Note: I posted this on my graduate studies discussion board as an opinion piece.
Despite the tremendous cost that healthcare is in our country, I believe that it is still a basic human right to receive it. This includes everything in our healthcare system including, but not limited to medications, technology, long intensive care stays, neonatal intensive care units, and dialysis machines. I do not doubt that there are valid arguments on both sides, including the financial impact and quality of healthcare, but my basic fundamental belief in healthcare for all defines my position regardless of financial considerations. To put it simply, the premise of healthcare for all comes no matter what and it is up to us to figure out how to contain costs.
An analysis done by Smith, Cowan, Sensenig, Catlin, and Health Accounts Team (2005) of our current, predominately entrepreneurial healthcare system revealed an expensive system, costing 15.3% of our country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2003. The same team found that the per capita expenditure was $5670 in 2003 (Smith et. al, 2005). This is an expensive investment considering 47 million Americans are still uninsured, with the number rising every year (U.S Census Bureau, 2007).
Government spending has been fluctuating recently in light of the Iraq/Afghanistan war. To compare spending, translating per capita expenditure for healthcare in 2003 to a family of four will yield $22,680 ($5670 multiplied by four) per year. A recent report from Senator Schumer and Representative Maloney from the Joint Economic Committee Majority Staff (2007) shows the total economic cost of the Iraq/Afghanistan war from 2002 to 2008 for a family of four to total $20,900 for these years.
Complaints about how much we spend in healthcare can be paralleled with complaints that we spend too much for war. Our priorities need to be questioned if we need to spend such large amounts in foreign countries when our domestic healthcare system is failing. Some may be surprised to hear that through our estimated family contributions of $20,900 to the government for the war, we have paid for universal healthcare in Iraq! The U.S has “spent nearly US $1 billion on Iraq’s healthcare system but more than $8 billion is required over the next four years to fund the current healthcare structure [in Iraq]” (IRIN, 2006, para. 3). The U.S is now burdened with two healthcare systems, both failing, and both needing more funds. The question is not only do we support certain proposals to cover all Americans, but instead, does our government have their priorities straight when it comes to our money.
IRIN. (2006). Iraq: Country’s healthcare system rapidly deteriorating. Retrieved on November 27, 2007, from link
Schumer, C. E., Maloney, C. B. (2007). War at any price? Retrieved on November 27, 2007, from link
Smith, C., Cowan,C., Sensenig, A., Catlin, A., & Health Accounts Team. (2005). Health spending growth slows in 2003. Health Affairs, 24(1), 185-194.
U.S Census Bureau. (2007, August). Household income rises, poverty rate declines, number of uninsured up. Retrieved November 27, 2007, from link