Health Care Reform Needs to go to Extreme Measures

With roughly 47 million uninsured Americans in 2006, the country doesn’t seem to be doing enough to retaliate against this insurmountable crisis. Moreover even though health care plays a large role in the main policy issues of the 2008 election, none of the candidates are proposing the drastic changes that are essential to the welfare of the American people.

Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama’s plans contain the type of revolutionary change we as Americans need. First off, Barack Obama’s plan only includes mandatory health insurance for those under the age of 18, adults are given the choice to buy or decline. This is just not acceptable for a country of our stature in this day and age. Isn’t good health one of our basic rights? Doesn’t it fall under life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Second of all neither of their proposals addressed the outrageous cost of health insurance- an indispensable human liberty. The main solution to fund it is to renounce the Bush tax cuts. Also, Americans paying for health care are taxed in order to subsidize the poor. So basically this calls for a classic Robin Hood situation, not unfamiliar in the American government system. Instead the government needs to take the initiative and make the radical turn needed to re-invent the entire health care system.

We have many wonderful health care examples to look at. The majority of countries have a much better system than us. For example Canada spends only $3,165 per capita on health care, compared to over $7,000 per capita in the United States. (Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) Why can’t we learn from the numerous other countries that seem to have this thing down, instead of trying to come up with a system from scratch? If the wheel’s not broke don’t fix it. And if it is, well then give it up and get a new one.

All in all, I think Michael Moore is going in the right direction on America’s needs in health care. His proposal is this: 1) Every resident of the United States must have free, universal health care for life. 2) All health insurance companies must be abolished. 3) Pharmaceutical companies must be strictly regulated like a public utility. (Source: michaelmoore.com) Although, his plan may seem rather extreme to many people, we cannot accept anything less than what our surrounding countries have shown us is possible.