Universal Health Care

REBUTTAL1. Universal Health Care Will Reduce Spending on Health CareCon claims that: I. High health care prices in the United States are due to government distortions.II. Low health care costs in countries with universal health care is due to rationing.III. Countries with universal health care have long waiting lines.My reply:I. So called "government distortions" are what have made health care more accessible to many Americans. Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE, and The Children's Health Insurance Program. These government interventions have brought health care to poor, elderly, veterans and children who otherwise would not have been able to afford it. II. Con has not provided any example of health care being rationed by governments with universal healthcare. And even if these supposed rations exist, he is forgetting about the rations that are inherent in private health care providers as well. Americans are often not able to get the care they want due to the price. Some complain that the government will supposedly start coming between them and their doctor, while they are completely oblivious to the insurance companies coming between them and their doctor right now.III. Waiting lines are a manufactured issue. A Health Affairs survey reports that 27% of Canadians and 5% of Americans reported waiting four months or more for elective surgery. But the same study says 24% of Americans reported that they did not get medical care because of cost. Together, that's 29%. The only reason Americans aren't waiting in line is because they can't afford to get in the line. And lets not forget that lines only apply to non-emergency treatment. You are not going to be turned down if your life hangs in the balance. [1]2. Universal Health Care Will Save LivesCon claims that:I. Universal health care does not saves lives due to less medical innovation.My reply:I. It is a fact that universal health care systems result in a healthier population. The top 20 countries for life expectancy all have universal healthcare. The United States comes in at number 36, behind Cuba. None of the bottom 10 have universal health care. [2]The top 20 countries for lowest infant mortality rate all have universal healthcare. The United States comes in at number 34, behind Cuba again. [3]The top 10 healthiest countries in the world, according to Forbes, all have universal health care. [4]A healthier country obviously means more lives saved.3. Universal Health Care Will Help the EconomyCon claims that:I. Universal health care will hurt the economy by raising taxes.My reply:I. I reaffirm the evidence I posted last round. The International Monetary Fund urges that the most important thing nations can do in an economic downturn is to strengthen their social safety nets. They say this while well aware that it means raising taxes because they know that it's worth it. A social safety net creates a cushion in people's lives from hitting rock-bottom. With universal health care, everyone knows that, no matter their financial situation, they can count on having care if they become ill. The stronger any nation's social safety net is, the less hard any recession is going to hit.4. Universal Health Care Will NOT Suppress InnovationCon claims that:I: Universal health care will suppress innovation because the private sector is better at innovating.My reply:I: Whether this is true or not is irrelevant to your point. Universal health care will not ban private health insurance. If what you say is true, that public sector health care would not provide the necessary treatments to some people, they are still fully capable of buying those treatments from a private provider.ARGUMENTS1. Americans Will Be Happier With a Universal Health Care SystemThere are several reasons that a universal health care system would increase the average American's satisfaction with it. It means that no one will need to worry about whether they will be able to afford health care, they know it is taken care of. They will be healthier and a healthier population is a happier population. Doctors will be free to take care of their patients as they want, their available treatments will not be limited by an insurance company and they will not have to deal with the moral disgrace of turning anyone down because they couldn't afford it. Lastly, Americans will be more satisfied because the majority of Americans endorse a universal health care system. [5]SOURCES1. http://www.latimes.com... 2. http://en.wikipedia.org...3. http://en.wikipedia.org...4. http://www.forbes.com...5. http://www.cbsnews.com...