Healthcare is a basic human right.

That’s what everybody should believe in, right? Well, that’s not always the case. Universal health coverage is something that many societies today have, but it’s one thing that ours lacks. Is it something that we don’t like? Are we too greedy of a society to not want to give people the healthcare they deserve and instead focus on making money? These are questions that constantly pop up in discussions surrounding this topic. Healthcare should not just be something you receive only if you can afford it, it is something that all humans deserve. It is a basic human right. How would you feel if you were one of the 20 percent of Americans who didn’t have some sort of health insurance and had to pay full price for your medical costs? I’m sure many of these individuals don’t even bother to see a healthcare professional unless it’s free or an emergency, and this affects their health in ways that aren’t even imaginable. If somebody without health insurance were to have a non-communicable disease (diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorder, etc.) and couldn’t afford their medicine, just think of how quickly their health would decline compared to an individual who had proper access to healthcare. It makes a world of difference.

One problem with our lack of universal health coverage is that it seems like those involved in the private sector of healthcare are too concerned about making money. Making money and being financially secure surely isn’t a bad thing, but it makes medical costs today insanely expensive, and it makes it extremely difficult for somebody who doesn’t have health insurance to pay for a simple checkup. It’s hard enough for an individual, so just think of how much more difficult it would be for a family to pay for medical bills. It can also become difficult for those with health insurance to pay off bills, so I couldn’t even imagine what the costs would be for these people without it. If healthcare professionals would be willing to take a bit of a pay cut for the betterment of the health of all people, then we could make universal health coverage a reality, but how much of a reality will this ever be?

Another problem we face with approaching universal health coverage is that people don’t want their tax money to be used on other people’s healthcare. It’s as if they take it personally that they have to pay for another person’s medical bills. At the same time, so many people are complaining about how high the cost of healthcare is today. One way to fix it is with universal health coverage. Do you see the contradiction here? We can’t get what we’re striving for unless we’re willing to give up a little bit. To me, I think that this would be a good place for my tax dollars to be going.

Making money is a top priority over patient healthcare, we’re too personal about where our tax money is being used, and this is affecting our society in a bad way. Twenty percent of our nation is without health insurance, and this is hurting so many people. The solution to the problem is right in front of us, yet we choose to neglect it. Healthcare is a basic human right, and we shouldn’t make a clean bill of health cost so much.