The Uninsured Should Not Pay for Insurance
Uninsured individuals should not be required to pay for the insurance. In 2020, 8.6% of the population in the United States, or 28 million individuals, lacked healthcare coverage at some moment during the year (US Census Bureau, 2021). In 2020, more poor children under the age of 19 were without health insurance than in previous years (US Census Bureau, 2021). Underage children without health insurance living in poverty increased by 1.6% to 9.3% (US Census Bureau, 2021). Numerous people without health insurance do not join coverage programs due to the cost (Congressional Budget Office, 2020). On the other hand, others may be unaware that they are qualified for subsidized insurance or are intimidated by the enrollment process. As a result, there is a necessity to provide the population with the needed healthcare services due to their financial struggles. Consequently, it will be possible to stop the growing rate of uninsured people.
Bi-Partisan Support in Congress
Congress is in charge of deciding the broad outlines and objectives of United States public health initiatives. When it comes to universal health coverage might save money on future health and social expenditures. In this respect, insurance coverage has the potential to reduce long-term health problems and ensure positive results in the most disadvantaged communities. Second, it decreases overall healthcare spending, implying that the government sets prices through the negotiating process and regulatory oversight. Such a tactic should resonate with the ideas of Democrats, who see universal health care as a means to provide equal access for all levels of the community. Republicans should be attracted to such a statement that enables them to claim to be boosting healthcare quality. As a result, due to the aforementioned advantages for the people and the state, there might be approval from the Senate and the House.
The Potential Impact and Financial Justification
The prospective impact of universal health coverage on the demand side is that it might simplify the rule-making process. In the US, an insurance company requires that healthcare services be approved before they can be provided to an individual. Consequently, the patient will not have to wait for approval or experience a financial burden with universal health coverage. Second, as for the impact on the supply side, there will be no competitive pressure between health insurers. The state, on the other hand, will control healthcare costs. Correspondingly, because there is no necessity to deal with various health insurers, it saves money and time for physicians and healthcare professionals.
Lastly, as for the impact on the government insurance programs, it will help eliminate the competitive market since the healthcare system in the United States is geared toward the wealthy. The healthcare system provides expensive treatments, allowing practitioners to be paid more. They make investments in research and innovation to produce new services, then charge prices that are out of reach for the ordinary individual. Consequently, universal health coverage will help create a system that is geared toward those who require healthcare without being pressured by the cost of services.
Coverage and Services in the Future
Universal health coverage entails ensuring that every individual has access to the healthcare services they require, whenever and wherever they require them, and without financial difficulties. It encompasses the entire spectrum of quality health services, from promoting medicine to preventive medicine, therapeutic interventions, rehabilitative services, and pain management. The foundation of universal health coverage ought to be solid, people-centered predominant health care. Suitable healthcare structures are deeply rooted in the communities in which they operate. They are concerned not only with the prevention and treatment of disease and ailment but also with the enhancement of well-being and life quality. Consequently, it is everybody’s right to receive healthcare, and, therefore, everybody should be covered by universal healthcare coverage.
At the moment, nearly half of the world’s population does not have access to primary health care. Every year, approximately 100 million people are forced into severe poverty as a result of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures. As for the statistics in the United States, approximately 26,000 Americans die each year due to a lack of insurance coverage (Norman, n.d.). Additionally, 2021 marks the first time since the year 1937 that the United States population has increased by fewer than a million individuals, representing the minimum numerical growth in the country’s history (US Census Bureau, 2022). As a result, the given data proves that with no access to affordable healthcare, increasing death rates, and decreasing population growth, there might be a healthcare crisis when the overall population health deteriorates, which necessitates the implementation of universal health coverage.
References
Congressional Budget Office. (2020). Who went without health insurance in 2019, and why?
Norman, J. (n.d.). Health care advocates say thousands die due to lack of insurance. Commonwealth Fund.
US Census Bureau. (2021). Health insurance coverage in the United States: 2020. Census.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). COVID-19, declining birth rates and international migration resulted in historically small population gains. Census.