That the united states should impliment universal health care modeled after the french system.

I will Post my arguments first then.. In 2000, the World Health Organization ranked the French healthcare system the best in the world. This would make it apparent that we, who ranked 37th, have some lessons to learn from them. I affirm the resolution, resolved: that the United States government should implement universal health care modeled after the French system, for three primary reasons. First, that it is more cost efficient than our current system because the French spend much less with better quality. Second, that it is a more collective system that insures all citizens, which is better for society Finally, that France has, as a result of their healthcare system, better overall health, which we could have as well if we had a similar system. I will start be defining a few key words Modeled: to construct or fashion in imitation of a particular model. Merriam Webster Imitation: the quality of an object in possessing some of the nature or attributes of a transcendent idea. Merriam Webster The US is in an economic recession right now, and the US government is continuously falling farther and farther into debt, according to the United States Treasury The U.S. is $10 trillion dollars in debt as of September 30th of this year. Implementing a universal healthcare system similar to that of France would save the US money. According to the Senate Budget Committee As of 2005 the US spent 15.3% of its GDP on healthcare, while France spent only 11.1% of its national GDP. This translates to roughly $6,100 per capita in the US, while only $3,500 per capita in France Obvioisly a significant difference. Also, according to OECD Health Data in 2005 the French system is much more efficient; the US spends 7.3% of our healthcare budget on administration costs, while France only spends 1.9%. This means we would be decreasing needless costs that are being spent in administrative work and personnel thus delivering better healthcare for less. Using a healthcare system modeled after the French would not only save money for the government, but for all of us. The US citizen paid, in 2000 according to The Commonwealth Fund, on average, $707 on out of pocket costs, while the average French citizen spends only $240. Implementing a universal healthcare system modeled after the French would save both the government and the American people money. Second, a large portion of the country is uninsured or underinsured. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2007 45.7 million people, or a shocking 15.3% of the population, were uninsured. This 45.7 million people would have health insurance if we adopted a healthcare system modeled after the French. Having health insurance reduces the mortality rates by 10-15%, so if, as under the French system, everyone had healthcare we would be reducing mortality rates by 10 to 15% for 45.7 million people. In addition, according to a survey by the Common Wealth Fund in 2003, 16 million adults are underinsured, in other words, their deductibles equaled 5% or more of their income. We have a moral obligation to reduce mortality as much as possible, and the increase in mortality rates caused by being uninsured is preventable if we used a healthcare system modeled after that of the French Third, implementing a healthcare program modeled after that of France would increase the overall health of the country. France has better health in many areas, with lower infant mortality rates and higher life expectancy. According to OECD in 1999 France had an infant mortality rate of 4.3 per 1000 live births, while the US had a rate of 7.2. In 2003, according to the WHO, France had a healthy life expectancy of 72 years, while the US had a healthy life expectancy of 69 years. This means that we have a lower life expectancy then we could under the French system. So adopting the French system would inevitably save lives. In conclusion, it is obvious that the United States should implement a nationalized healthcare system similar to that of France because it will ensure a more collective system and better health for less money.