[Image Source] (https://shadowproof.com/2017/04/10/road-single-payer-us-can-achieve-universal-health-care/)
Healthcare is essential to any society. Without the ability to treat acute and chronic illnesses, people would suffer unnecessarily, and societies would crumble. To ensure that everyone receives the care they need and deserve, universal healthcare needs to be thoroughly considered. Many are hesitant to engage in a government sponsored healthcare initiative because of the fear of extreme socialism that could be adopted later on. In fact, before watching this discussion hosted by Dr. Sean Flynn, I was included in that group. I thought that universal healthcare was just a gateway to other, more oppressive acts of socialism. I thought that once the government took control of one area of daily life it would be difficult to contain it to only that area. Soon after integrating this new model of medicine, there may be a created “need” for other government-controlled services, such as collective ownership of businesses or something along those lines. And while I do still see that this is a valid concern for many, I also know that universal healthcare has many benefits that cannot be overlooked. In fact, as Dr. Flynn repeatedly mentions in his discussion, there are many different approaches to this type of social program that ultimately lead to desirable outcomes for individual citizens.
For those countries like Singapore, different provisions are in place to protect citizens from the negative aspects of traditional healthcare. Individuals in Singapore do not have to worry about the major costs of receiving medical services because there are many safety nets in place to ensure that everyone is covered financially. Not only does the government in Singapore offer tax free health savings accounts with high interest rates as well as emergency healthcare relief funds, but they also have an increased amount of insurance plans with high deductibles. This means that less of the financial burden will fall to the citizens themselves so that they can focus on getting the care they need instead of settling for the care they can afford. Having the ability to shop around for a physician increases the competition between different medical practices and eventually leads to a greater outcome for each individual seeking treatment. This is a model the United States of America should follow. If you give citizens viable options to choose from and help them to make ends meet, then there is likely to be an emergence of high-quality medical services at a lower cost. Whereas other models, such as that of the Canadian healthcare system, limit the opportunity for people to find the care they need at a price they can afford because there are no private practices available. In turn, citizens begin to look elsewhere for treatment and forgo the opportunity to continue to support these social programs that may be benefitting others in their community. That is where Singapore prevails.
The truly remarkable aspect of the healthcare system in Singapore, however, is its ability to provide the necessary resources for each of its constituents at a low cost. The government in Singapore utilizes not even 5% of their budget for healthcare purposes, whereas the United States allocates upwards of 18%. And still, even with this seemingly small contribution to the maintenance of their medical development, Singapore leads the world in favorable health outcomes. People in Singapore are living longer, babies are surviving, and less mothers are dying at childbirth; a feat the United States still has not reached. Therefore, it is important for our country to reevaluate our current mode of operations and determine where improvements can be made. In my opinion, a large improvement may come from the adoption of a healthcare system modeled after that of Singapore’s. If we can figure out how to offer a variety of quality options at low costs, we can ensure that our citizens are thoroughly taken care of and our budget is being spent effectively. As a country with a large amount of debt, this is an idea that many should ponder.