Universal health care best solution

By Pearl Wong

Health care insurance should be universally provided; the United States spends 16.2 percent of its total Gross Domestic Product on health care every year. According to CIA's World Factbook, our GDP was estimated at $14.26 trillion in 2008. Essentially, we already spend $2.3 trillion per year on health care. Therefore, I don't understand why people are complaining about the $829 billion price tag for a health care overhaul.

I know much of the tension about this issue stems from either lack of knowledge or deeply-rooted, biased beliefs.

One side argues that health care overhaul will endanger the pure capitalistic market that represents the United States of America as an emblem of democracy. Another party not only wants a reformed health care system, but a government sponsored policy as well.

In regard to health care, a national policy is the most efficient way to ensure everyone is taken care of at a relatively low cost.

Obviously, the present system is flawed and bloated with unethical profits. Insurance companies make billions of dollars in net earnings every year, while people with standard insurance are continually denied medical care. There is no incentive for insurers and doctors to give quality care for average American citizens.

Incentives to help Americans are further diminished by the fact that insurance companies are exempt from antitrust laws.

If universal health care is imposed, all citizens will be given the correct medical treatments they need to treat their health problems. Doctors can stop caring about whether or not someone can pay their bills and instead focus on their real job: to help the patient live longer and healthier. Ethical doctors are not rewarded for their focus on helping the patients; instead, they see other's gain by denying care and surgeries that save insurance companies money. How can this be justified by American society?

Another positive aspect to universal health care is that people will be more motivated to seek medical help proactively instead of waiting until it's too late or too expensive. There is no acceptable reason for a cancer patient to delay chemotherapy until his or her insurance company approves the treatment. People shouldn't have to worry about their insurance payments skyrocketing after one bad accident.

If America is a democracy, then its people should not go broke for trying to pay their medical bills. If America is a democracy, then insurance companies like Blue Shield and Kaiser should not be allowed to rip people off with premium insurance and then deny them coverage later.

Universal health care isn't a radical idea, and it does not purely benefit democrats. Universal means the entire, collective people of America will be covered. Insurance coverage should not be an elite service or an expensive brand- name handbag. Insurance coverage should be a normal good like food, where if income rises, you can buy more of it if you want to.

Insurance companies need to stop crying about socialist health care and the fall of capitalism.

There is nothing wrong with making health care more affordable for everyone, even if low-income Americans benefit more than those with golden package insurances. Everyone deserves decent health care -- not just those who can afford it. Universal health care will not put insurance companies out of business, but it will lower the ridiculous, shameful profits they have been making.

And yes, universal health care will increase taxes. However, we are already paying for Medicare and Medicaid. Therefore, why not pay for something we will actually use when we're 20 years old, instead of waiting until we're 60?

Pearl Wong is a sophomore economics major.