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Pros of Free Health Care

As of 2010, roughly 43 million American citizens do not possess health insurance. With the already expensive cost of quality health care and health insurance increasing with each coming year, the number of uninsured U.S. citizens will likely continue to rise as well. Though many people express concerns about a government--or taxpayer--funded health care program in America, free health care still carries a number of pros that outweigh some of the cons.

  1. 18,000 Lives Saved Per Year

    • A study performed by the Institute of Medicine proved that more than 18,000 American die each year because they didn't have adequate--if any--health insurance. Providing free health care to U.S. can ultimately make the difference between life and death for adults and children who--for whatever reason--don't carry insurance. Free health care would not only benefit low-income families, but also citizens of higher incomes considered un-insurable due to pre-existing conditions such as asthma or cancer.

    Reduction Of Non-Emergency ER Visits

    • Many uninsured Americans--and ones receiving Medicaid--use emergency rooms as a primary source of health care. By law emergency rooms must treat all patients regardless of insurance status and many uninsured patients view the ER as their only option. According to a 2010 study performed by the University of California San Francisco, the amount of uninsured emergency room patients rose from 1,770 in 2000 to 2,489 in 2007; a considerable amount of these patients' conditions could have been treated in a primary care facility. Researchers also reported that this increased ER waiting times by about 50 percent. Providing Americans with free health care will allow them to seek care in non-emergency clinics and family practices, thus freeing up emergency rooms for real emergencies.

    Keeping Citizens Above The Poverty Line

    • Current free health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid support the medical requirements of millions of disabled and elderly U.S. citizens.The money saved on health care services, therapies and medications allows many of them to spend what little disposable income they possess on other necessities such as rent, mortgage, food and utility expenses. Universal health care can enable substantial numbers of needy people to remain above the poverty line, by absorbing a majority of their medical, hospital bills and prescription medication expenses.

    A Boost To The Economy

    • The cost of quality health care is expensive and continues to become increasingly less affordable for people of all income brackets. Most businesses that provide health benefits only have a certain amount of funds in their budgets to allocate towards employee health care. As the premiums rise, less funds become available for raises, bonuses or the hiring of new employees. Ultimately this leads to less consumer spending which can hurt an already damaged economy. The financial relief of free health care would free millions of Americans with substantial amounts of extra spending cash, thus improving the American economy in the long run.

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