Information on Universal Health Care for U.S. Citizens

Universal health care for U.S. citizens is an extremely controversial topic currently being debated in America. According to Health Care for All California, there are 45 million Americans without health insurance, and 10 million of them are children.

Fact

• Every year, 18,000 Americans die because they are uninsured, according to a 2002 Institutes of Medicine study and FamilyDoctorMag.com.

Considerations

• According to the American Medical Student Association, the cost of universal health care would be between $35 billion to $59 billion.

Misconceptions

• One misconception regarding universal health care is in regards to what universal health care actually is, according to Patrick Whelan, M.D, Ph.D. from FamilyDoctorMag.com. Universal health care could mean that the government pays for anything or using tax law to incorporate every citizen into the private health insurance system that currently exists.

Pros

• Universal health care would prevent thousands of people from dying each year who would otherwise die because of not having health insurance.

Cons

• Universal health care is expensive, and John S. O'Shea, a practicing surgeon, believes that universal health care would result in higher taxes. O'Shea also believes that universal health care would require cuts to education and defense spending.