In class on Tuesday we questioned the relationship between capitalism and universal health care. While it seemed at first that capitalism was contradictory to socialized healthcare, we soon realized that many countries, such as the England and France, have both capitalist market systems and universal healthcare. Indeed, socialized health care in no way opposes or threatens our capitalist way of life. After watching the remainder of Sicko— I couldn’t help renting it— I realized that we have several socialized/”universal” systems within our country that we do not recognize as such because they have been so ingrained into our daily lives. These include the postal service, primary education, the police, and most importantly, the fire department.
We take these services for granted; they are universal and in theory do not discriminate against economic status. (In practice, of course, we know that poorer neighborhoods are likely farther away from fire stations or have fewer police officers.) In America, we assume that if our house catches fire, a government-organized, taxed-funded fire department will send a team of trained men (or women) to save our lives and hopefully, our home. The firefighters will come based on need, will arrive as quickly as possible, and will provide the necessary equipment, expertise, and manpower to save us. They will not look for proof of financial security before putting out the blaze and they will not ask for money afterward.
Similarly, Canadian, British, and French citizens can safely assume that if they become ill, the health care system paid for by their taxes— just as our fire department is paid for by our taxes—will provide necessary medical treatment, whether for a heart attack or a scratch. In Sicko, Tony Benn, a British politician and long-time advocate of socialized health care explained (in paraphrase): “If your house were burning down, the firefighters wouldn’t come and look for a plaque on your wall that said you had fire insurance before putting out the fire! That would be ridiculous, what if the house next to you caught fire from their delay?” I cannot agree more completely. How can we apply universal care to the postal service but not to something as vital and life-preserving as healthcare? Is not a stroke, aneurism, or major trauma similar to a fire, where every second lost brings one closer to death? Another analogy can be drawn with contagious diseases? If we turn away patients with potent viruses or bacterial infections—think tuberculosis—will their neighbors not also “catch fire?” I disappointed that none of our presidential candidates advocate openly and forcefully for universal healthcare. Universal healthcare is something that I believe so strongly in that such a candidate would certainly get my vote.
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4 comments:
You bring up a really good point in the last paragraph about the fire department. It makes me question more why we don't have universal health care when neglecting individuals because they don't have insurance or the right insurance prevents them from getting the help they need. It seems as though many people would rather watch the house burn down with the person inside it.
I have to agree with Anya and Nakita. Anya's comments about the fire department especially bring up the contradictions that this country holds. A fire that is not immediately contained will spread, causing more damage as the delay increases and raising the home insurance for homeowners in the surrounding area. Similarly, when one is not treated, everyone suffers in the form of higher medical hospital costs and health insurance. If everyone had some sort of health care, then illnesses would be more likely to be controlled and contained before becoming so damaging to a large population. thus, the overall health cost would decrease. What a better light that would shed on health insurance and universal health care. This is a great issue for voters to look at and understand well.
You bring up a very important point about other socialized services in the U.S. As you mentioned, it would be ridiculous to think that when firefighters come over to a house on fire, ask the owners to look at their insurance policy first. To some people in the world, requiring one to give proper consent and documentation people a person can be transported to a hospital by an ambulance sounds as ridiculous as the firefighter example. (One of the stories from Sicko, a woman got into an accident, and had to be transported to a hospital. Later on, the insurance company would not pay her back for the ambulance cost, because she did not give some consent or documentation that was need, when she was only half conscious, or unconscious).
Sadly, I don't have voting privilege in U.S. but I certainly want to support universal health care as I start my medical education next fall, and become a doctor one day.
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