The USFG should universalize its healthcare system.

Good topic Tim, I'm glad we can debate this... I appreciate the fact that you, unlike many of your liberal constituents, acknowledge the fact in the second paragraph of your opening argument, that America has top quality healthcare. I'm glad you realize this fact and put it out there for the voting audience to see as it will be a big part of my argument against yours. I'd like to pose a question and I'd like you to think about it as I make my points during this opening argument: Why do you think the quality is at the top here in America? Reason 1: The Doctors Incentives Doctors are some of the smartest graduates out there. Many of them are smart enough to accomplish anything they want, and choose any career they want. Why do these folks get into the field of medicine then? Aside from it interesting them and wanting to help people the answer comes down to a simple word: money. Yes, it's a cruel world, and it's crazy to think that doctors don't come to work everyday to look at sick and disease-ridden people for fun, but it's true. It's their job and they're there to make money. They get paid the big bucks because their profession is a skilled, stressful and time-consuming one. Why would a smart and capable young man or woman with the freedom to go anywhere with their life choose to spend 8 years in post-secondary education, take a job that is stressful and high pressure with a large workload far-extending the traditional 'work day'? The answer is simply the financial benefits. Under a Socialized Health Care plan, the doctors wages would drastically fall and there would be no monetary incentive for smart people to get into the business when they could make more being, say a lawyer. There would either be a shortage of doctors and those still in the field would have even larger numbers of patients to worry about (thus less time per patient will be available); or there would still be many doctors in the field but they will be less qualified. If doctor jobs are always available, people will get into the field just so they can be guaranteed a job, and chances are these people won't exactly be cream of the crop. When you need brain surgery do want the guy who got all A's in medical school or the guy who barely passed but secured his job merely because there was a great need for doctors and they were willing to take just about anyone with a medical agree? As it is now, the best doctors get the jobs and the bad doctors don't make it, thus bringing only the best care to the American people. Reason 2: Free Markets & Privatization Currently, health providers are private businesses and work within the free market economy that America knows and loves. By making health care government owned-and-operated, we are giving way too much power to the government in an area which they should not be involved. Your health is your business and it is a private matter, it is not any business of the state. By taking the competition out of the business of health care, you are settling for whatever you get. It's called a monopoly. If you want health care you have but one place to go, too bad if you don't like it. Even if the health care sucks (which it will) you have no choice. In our current system, if your doctor sucks what do you do? You change doctors or if your insurance company sucks you may be able to change insurance companies. After a while the bad doctors patients are all going to leave and he'll be out of a job, meanwhile the good doctors will thrive and continue providing excellent care for your money. This is an example of competition, without which, we are forced into mediocrity. Reason 3: We're Medical Pioneers You were quick to point out that America spends more (16% of GDP) than countries like Japan and Sweden per year. What you failed to recognize is that America is also the world's leader in medical innovation/advancement and medical technology. It's because of us that countries like Japan and Sweden can spend less, they steal our technology and technique after we spend loads of money to come up with it. Not only do we help the world have better medical care, but we're lucky because we generally get the first crack at new technology and procedures. Without America, the world would be in a much worse place medically-speaking. Reason 4: Taxes I already have health insurance through my job and I pay a small co-pay (about $20 a week) and my employer pays the rest. If Universal health care becomes a reality, I'm looking at spending WAY more per week, but rather than pay it to/through my employer, it would come out through taxes by the way of even larger income taxes. It is estimated that I would be paying about 15-25% more in taxes which pans out to around $90 more a week. That's $70 less income per week that I should have in my pocket, and what do I have to show for it? Worse health care than I had when I paid $20 a week? $90 x 52 paychecks a year = $4,680 as compared to $1,040 when I was sharing the cost with my employer. So now I have to pay for my health insurance by myself as well as for our illegal immigrant and lazy jobless friends. This is thievery and corruption of the highest level and will not stand in a free republic. Reason 5: Health Care is NOT A RIGHT! The only rights we have are those granted to us in the Constitution, and no where in there does it say every American deserves free care for no reason. Health care is something you earn like a house, a car, food, and any other thing you may want or need. This is America where freedom reigns, no one is stopping anyone from achieving for themselves. If Americans take freebies from the government, the government will take freedom from the Americans. I'm not willing to sacrifice my freedoms and wreck the medical profession, economy, and my personal income so every American can be covered. I'd also like to say that 18,000 people dying, that could have been prevented is hearsay. There's no way to literally prove if they would have lived or not based on their health care situation. I did read the USA Today article that you undoubtedly pulled this factoid from and you forgot to mention that this "ESTIMATED DEATH TOLL" had included a hypothetical 1,400 people with high blood pressure, and 1,500 hypothetical people with HIV. Both of these are preventable diseases if you eat right and don't have lewd sexual encounters or illegal drug usage. The report failed to mention how many other preventable diseases the other hypothetical people had, but it's fair to say it was probably quite a few of them. The study has no actual proof or numbers to back it up, it's just numbers pushed around used to prove their point. Let me close by saying that I wish that Universal Health Care was a realistic possibility. I would love for every American to have health care. However, I judge ideas by the facts, not by its intentions, and I conclude this plan would do more harm than good to this great country.