Nearly 50 million Americans are currently without health insurance, and many with insurance are still struggling to pay their medical bills. Everyone agrees that healthcare should be accessible to all, but the debate still rages on as to whether a universal system would be a wise or realistic solution. Is universal healthcare the remedy for what ails America?
Because the U.S. government already spends more than any other government in the world on health care, while covering less than half of all health care costs and leaving 47 million people uninsured, there are clearly significant inefficiencies in the current system. With an Obama Presidency, I think it is likely that we will see a strengthening of employer-based health insurance, an efficient expansion of Medicare-style coverage for most children and adults who are currently uninsured, and an improvement in the quality of care that result from people having their own doctors rather than being constantly at the mercy of the nation's overstressed emergency rooms.
It is notable that the U.S. Catholic bishops have referred to health care definitively as a human right, writing in their November 2007 document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, that "Affordable and accessible health care is an essential safeguard of human life and a fundamental human right. With an estimated 47 million Americans lacking health care coverage, it is also an urgent national priority."
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