Should everyone be entitled to free healthcare?
Free healthcare, also known as ‘universal healthcare’, will be defined in this essay as a system that ensures equal and unrestricted access to healthcare for all residents. Although it is not in its literal sense, ‘free’, it is funded through contributions from all citizens. Despite achieving universal health coverage having been widely recognized as an UN Sustainable Development Goal, there is still some debate over whether everyone should be entitled to free healthcare, particularly in the USA. This essay will argue for this entitlement on the bases of providing benefits to public health and promoting social equity.
To begin with, by making healthcare free for everyone, governments could in turn improve the health of all its citizens. It would allow for an improvement in health infrastructure, such as public health departments and clinics, as well as allow for more effective disease prevention and control measures. This could significantly aid countries in being prepared for infectious diseases that could lead to a worldwide pandemic. One noteworthy example of this would be during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. When examining the relationship between universal health coverage and mitigating Covid-19 health-related consequences, numerous studies name a lack of health insurance as a correlating factor to increased mortality rates in the USA. Thus, one could conclude that by enabling free healthcare for all, countries could better prepare for the most challenging scenarios that would have widespread consequences across the public’s health. By achieving an increase in the general health of everyone, herd immunity could be reached in order to protect as many people as possible
Secondly, everyone should be entitled to free healthcare because it is a fundamental human right enshrined in the UN charter of human rights and is universally recognized. Therefore, healthcare should not be dependent on how much an individual can pay. In order to promote social equity, health systems and standards of care should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status. By giving everyone access to free healthcare, those that are disadvantaged, like the unemployed or impoverished, would be ensured equal access to, at times life-saving, treatments. On the reverse end, a lack of free healthcare would further entrench those living in poverty. Research has found a strong relationship between those with a higher income having better health. It can therefore be reasoned that such an outcome would not hold true if healthcare would be made free and accessible to everyone.
Moreover, In the long run, the provision of free healthcare could reduce overall healthcare costs. Preventive care and early intervention can prevent more severe and costly health issues down the line. For example, catching cancer in its early stages could prevent having to undergo intensive chemotherapy treatments later on. By catching such illnesses early on, the provision of free healthcare could also reduce the economic burden of untreated illnesses, such as disability and lost productivity. This is due to resources being redirected towards untreated illnesses instead of illnesses that could’ve been prevented. Subsequently, free healthcare not only has moral implications, but also economic ones.
On the other hand, some argue that there is a substantial cost to implementing a universal healthcare system and we should instead let everyone have their individual responsibility. Although it may hold true that such a system would place a higher burden on taxpayers, this is to the benefit of all individuals. If one were only worrying about the financial burden, one would not need to worry anymore. A universal healthcare system is strongly linked to the improving economic performance of a country because improved health translates into improved productivity. In fact, everyone’s economic status would improve. Consequently, the increase in productivity and economic growth would lessen the strain placed on taxpayers and public funding schemes.
To conclude, this essay is a strong proponent for the statement: ‘everyone should be entitled to free healthcare.’ Not only would it mitigate public health risks in times of dangerous diseases, it would also improve the economic situation of a country. Universal healthcare is an important principle recognized and supported by the UN. By putting free healthcare into place, we would help eliminate the social equity gap between the disadvantaged and the advantaged.
