If you are from the United States or have ever visited the United States for an extended period of time and had to use a hospital or any healthcare service, you know the system is terrible. Its slow, expensive, and if you don’t have a company willing to cover your insurance, many people are unable to afford going. This is one of the hottest debates and has been for as long as I have been alive. I want to give my opinion not on either sides of the debate, but a middle ground I believe that most people should support.
The first side is basically, keep healthcare privatized because it keeps costs lower and more efficient and that the government shouldn’t be held accountable when people destroy their bodies. Also included in this camp is simply that America just cant afford to offer universal healthcare to all of its citizens because we run a deficit already. The other side is that the government has a responsibility to its citizens and should offer universal healthcare as a right. A big argument is that one of the richest GDP per capita countries in the world and still not having a way to pay for those who need healthcare is embarrassing.
I want to choose the middle ground here and give my opinion on the debate. I think both sides are extremes just because in all likeliness we wont move to either of them. Im not claiming to know how to solve the healthcare debate, I just believe that there is one part that it falls flat and that is for children under the age of 18. I very strongly believe that children under the age of 18 should receive a form of healthcare for free. Their lives up until they are 18 are literally out of their hands and if we want to foster healthy future generations, this is necessary.
Were not talking about massive amounts of money either, only 25% of the population is under the age of 18 and you would remove all of the children who fall under their parent’s health care as well. In total you are looking at a very small percentage of the American people. I believe that we should live in a country where being born into a poor family shouldn’t limit your future success. Because you got a bad roll of the dice and your parents cant afford to bring you to the hospital should never be a reality anyone under the age of 18 should have to bear.
The healthcare could simply run out at 18 or be pushed back if you are pursuing college or not, it completely depends. The money can be found for such a plan, our military budget for one is completely bloated to the point where the army is given money when they have told the government they don’t need it. There are entire graveyards of tens of billions of dollars in vehicles which were never used. Perhaps we don’t need a military budget the size of the next 8 countries combined and cutting it by a small percentage to actually save lives and give benefits to children in our own country, is worth it.
Thanks to @Elyaque for the badges