Introduction
The universal healthcare (UHC) system offers numerous opportunities and advantages for the different layers within a chosen society but, at the same time, imposes potential challenges and negative sides. The opinions on how the implementation of UHC influences the economy and community differ. The U.S. is the only country among the OECD nations that does not offer universal healthcare, while almost 30 million people there do not possess health insurance (“Should all Americans”).
Thus, it is possible to say that there are aspects that stop the country from implementing this system. The UHC supporters claim that no one should be deprived of healthcare, regardless of their income, and the opponents say that individuals, not the government, should be responsible for their health security (“Should All Americans”). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the view that UHC would lead to lower costs and increase access to care and the opinion that UHC implies substantial costs and reduces care quality.
Main body
The first claim is that UHC integration can lead to the unequal distribution of healthcare and can lower the quality of the services in this industry. The study conducted in England shows that through the provision of UHC, the nation can start the journey towards achieving healthcare equity, but there are still apparent inequalities with this system (Asaria et al. 637). Therefore, the study proves that despite UHC’s aims to offer equal quality to everyone, the reality reveals other results, portraying that inequality in access to high-quality healthcare still exists.
Besides, the study found out that “poorer access and worse patient outcomes” are mostly associated with those who have a lower social disadvantage (Asaria et al. 637). From this perspective, UHC does not provide fair healthcare provision to everyone, and the issues of social inequality in terms of quality and access remain in the arena.
UHC aims to provide healthcare to everyone, even to those who do not have the financial means to cover it, which implies that this system needs financing. Viewing UHC as a beneficial structure that will improve health, reduce costs, and lower inequality in terms of healthcare access still implies the necessity of substantial funds. According to Tangcharoensathien et al., UHC represents an efficient tool to achieve “an improved level and distribution of health,” but requires governmental investments in primary care first (101). Consequently, the implementation of UHC starts with enhancing primary care towards the proper level that will allow its execution. It is possible to say that the claim in support of UHC as a measure to provide affordable care and lower the costs involves the drawbacks, such as significant financial expenditures.
Thus, one can see that the universal healthcare system offers both advantages and disadvantages, and it depends on the country and on how to view this concept. Along with the benefit that UHC can make healthcare affordable to everyone goes a point that it can also contribute to the increase in taxes (“Should all Americans”). As the paragraph above mentions, providing healthcare services to those who do not hold insurance or cannot pay for them requires financing. As a result, one of the instruments to pay for universal healthcare will be higher taxes for individuals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are different opinions about UHC and its potential impact. Although almost all of the countries in OECD have implemented this system, inequalities are still present and require further consideration. From one perspective, UHC can provide better access and make the services affordable to a higher number of individuals. Nevertheless, from another aspect, higher taxes and government expenditures imply high costs on the system. The integration of UHC requires a focus on primary care, through which it can reach better results in terms of affordability and financial part.
Works Cited
Asaria, Miqdad, et al. “How a Universal Health System Reduces Inequalities: Lessons from England.” J Epidemiol Community Health, vol. 70, no. 7, 2016, pp. 637-643.
“Should All Americans Have the Right (Be Entitled) to Health Care?” ProCon. 2019. Web.
Tangcharoensathien, Viroj, Anne Mills, and Toomas Palu. “Accelerating Health Equity: The Key Role of Universal Health Coverage in the Sustainable Development Goals.” BMC Medicine, vol. 13, no. 1, 2015, pp. 101-105.