Universal Healthcare be provided to all American citizens

1) The Senate voted in 2007 to discontinue a number of government organizations that have added onto the already dismal economy and guess what. They voted to not discontinue any of them, so your arguement, while sensible, is unrealistic with our current government.* 2) You said that the government-run healthcare system would be non-profit. This is again unrealistic, because an average of 45% of donations to non-profit organizations goes to funding basic costs, and believe it or not, salaries of workers. ** 3) This claim is completely false. Hospitals are required to treat every patient, regardless of their financial status. So they are definitely not excluded. here are three new points... 1)Patients aren't likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now. Co-pays and deductibles were put in place because there are medical problems that are more minor annoyances than anything else. Sure, it would be nice if we had the medical staff and resources to treat every ache and pain experienced by an American, but we don't. For example, what if a patient is having trouble sleeping? What if a patient has a minor cold, flu, or headache? There are scores of problems that we wouldn't go to a doctor to solve if he had to pay for it; however, if everything is free, why not go? The result is that doctors must spend more time on non-critical care, and the patients that really need immediate help must wait. In fact, for a number of problems, it's better if no medical care is given whatsoever. The body's immune system is designed to fight off infections and other illnesses. It becomes stronger when it can fight things off on its own. Treating the symptoms can prolong the underlying problem, in addition to the societal side effects such as the growing antibiotic resistance of certain infections.*** 2) Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care. When government controls things, politics always seep into the decision-making. Steps will have to be taken to keep costs under control. Rules will be put in place as to when doctors can perform certain expensive tests or when drugs can be given. Insurance companies are already tying the hands of doctors somewhat. Government influence will only make things worse, leading to decreased doctor flexibility and poor patient care.**** 3) Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc. Universal health care means the costs will be spread to all Americans, regardless of your health or your need for medical care, which is fundamentally unfair. Your health is greatly determined by your lifestyle. Those who exercise, eat right, don't smoke, don't drink, etc. have far fewer health problems than the smoking couch potatoes. Some healthy people don't even feel the need for health insurance since they never go to the doctor. Why should we punish those that live a healthy lifestyle and reward the ones who don't?**** * www.usc.edu/econdept/healthcare **www.balancedpolitics.org ***www.universityofchicago.edu/levitt/essay4 ****www.usatoday.com/health