Should the US Have Free Healthcare? - By Kade

                                                     Paid Healthcare vs Free Healthcare

Have you ever wondered why life is so expensive? Just the act of living costs millions of dollars a year. Though it’s not true in all countries, it is for one of the most “influential countries,” the US. The US is notorious for its democracy which states that we all have a “right to life,” even though we have to pay for basic necessities like food, housing, clothes, and education. But worst of all, we are required to pay for healthcare (Rubinstein, Amnon, “The Right to Democracy.” Fathom, 2013. https://fathomjournal.org/the-right-to-democracy/).

Healthcare is the general care for the health of a person or community that is provided by an organized health service (Oxford University Press, “Health Care.” Oxford English Dictionary, 2022. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/85020?redirectedFrom=healthcare#eid1876368). Some examples of healthcare include medicine, dentistry, psychology, and physical therapy. If you’ve ever lived in the United States, you’re probably aware of how expensive healthcare is, along with health insurance. As of 2020, “U.S healthcare spending grew by 9.7 percent, reaching $12,530 per person (CMS, “Historical.” Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, December, 2021. https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsHistorical).That number is back when inflation was on the rise. Think about what that average would be now. Canada is the opposite of the US. They provide healthcare for all residents who permanently reside in Canada. Even though most people refer to Canada as having “free healthcare,” that’s actually not the case. 

Canada pays for healthcare through taxes. Meaning the money we pay to make our country a better place, is contributing to our medical bills. The US, however, invites people to buy health insurance but, sometimes that doesn’t cover the entire cost and people will have to participate in a copay, a fixed amount you pay for a covered health care service after you’ve paid your deductibles (Healthcare.gov, “Copayment - Glossary.” USA.gov, 2022. https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/co-payment/#:~:text=A%20fixed%20amount%20).

Canada’s health care can only be bought publicly, meaning it’s more affordable but it has more limitations and restrictions due to the government assisting in payments. “Canadians only pay “$8,500 per person as of 2019”( Ross University, “US Vs Canadian Healthcare: What’s the Difference?” Ross University School of Medicine, May, 2021. https://medical.rossu.edu/about/blog/us-vs-canadian-healthcare#:~:text=People%20sometimes%20say%20that%20Canadians,Healthcare%20is%20never%20free). This money is paid through taxes and yet Americans are taxed 22.6% and Canadians are taxed 25.1%( Bradbury, David, “Taxing wages.” OECD, 2022. https://www.oecd.org/tax/tax-policy/taxing-wages-canada.pdf). That’s not much of a difference. I doubt that 2.5% of Canada's population is paying the equivalent of $12,530 per American. I believe we need to change the price of healthcare. It would be the start of a high life expectancy for people in America.