Introduction
Twenty-eight million persons in the United States, almost nine percent of the U.S. population, do not have health insurance and, consequently, cannot receive comprehensive treatment (Dickman et al. 1366).
Almost seventy percent of those who have health insurance are privately covered, while the remaining thirty-five percent have government protection through programs such as Medicaid or Medicare (Dickman et al. 1440).
According to the United States Population Review, the number of residents in America without eligibility for free health care in 2017 almost equals the population of Texas during the same year (Dunn et al. 176).
In one of the richest countries in the world, no one should be left without the right to treatment.
The United States is the only state among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that does not have access to universal health care, either in practice or under enshrined standards.
The Founding Documents of the United States Provide Approval for the Right to Health Care
The Declaration of Independence proclaims that all human beings have inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that is, they can only be secured when citizens are healthy (Fulton 1534).
The preamble to the current U.S. Constitution states that its aim is to promote the welfare of the population (Fulton 1537).
Health care for citizens is a direct function of government (Fulton 1532).
Establishing a Right to Health Care for All Citizens could lower Medical Care costs in the United States
Studies at the University of Massachusetts suggest that if a single-payer system were introduced if citizens were guaranteed the right to health care, total costs of medical care could be reduced by nearly two trillion dollars (Papanicolas et al. 1024).
The reason is that private health plans spend nearly twelve percent of their profits on administrative costs, while public programs use only six and a half percent (Papanicolas et al. 1026).
The positive experiences of Canada and Great Britain demonstrate that it is possible to provide citizens with free access to health care and, at the same time too, increase the economy (Papanicolas et al. 1030).
The Free Right to Health Care can Improve Public Health
Providing free medicine leads to better access to needed care and better health, especially for poor citizens.
Uninsured working-age Americans with chronic illnesses such as heart problems and diabetes without access to free health care can become disabled or die (Aldulaimi and Francisco 380).
The absence of access to medical care for nearly thirty percent of residents causes people to be treated at home and take many vacations at work, which immediately affects their health and businesses (Aldulaimi and Francisco 381).
Conclusion
Thus, the right of citizens to free medical care is enshrined indirectly in the main legislative acts of the state. At the same time, the provision of free health care improves the quality of health of uninsured citizens in the country’s economy.
U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy said that granting the right to health care is the foundation of the belief in a fair society (Dunn et al. 180). What is the meaning of free health care for citizens to you?
Raising and promoting the issue of free medicine, even in the short term, will allow residents to feel its benefits and the care of the government.
Works Cited
Aldulaimi, Sommer, and Francisco Mora. “A Primary Care System to Improve Health Care Efficiency: Lessons from Ecuador.” The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, vol.30, no.3, 2017, pp. 380-383.
Dickman, Samuel, et al. “Inequality and the healthcare System in the USA.” The Lancet, vol. 389, no.10077, 2017, pp. 1431-1441.
Dunn, Abe, et al. “Adjusting Health Expenditures for Inflation: A Review of Measures for Health Services Research in the United States.” Health services research, vol.53, no. 1, 2018, pp. 175-196.
Fulton, Brent. “Health Care Market Concentration Trends in the United States: Evidence and Policy Responses.” Health Affairs, vol.36, no.9, 2017, pp. 1530-1538.
Papanicolas, Irene, et al. “Health Care Spending in the United States and Other High-income Countries.” Jama, vol.319, no.10, 2018, pp. 1024-1039.