Free Healthcare in U.S.?

I think America should have free healthcare for all, especially for the middle and poor class. As for the rich class, because they have money, there is nothing much they can complain about their healthcare system. Like in Ali Jo’s blog, “you have to be really wealth or really lucky to get taken care of in America”. However, for the middle and the poor class, there can be many times where they have to pay high medical bills if the insurance companies would not pay for them. From watching “Sicko”, and all the people that Michael Moore introduced who was not able to get the insurance company to pay for their bills, it tells how America are ignoring those who needs help but only helping the ones who have money. The old couple that was in there went bankrupt because the heart strokes that they had and were not able to pay for their house. There was another old couple, where the old man still has to work (after the age of retirement) to pay for the wife’s medicine. If U.S. announced a free healthcare, the elderly don’t have to work to pay for the medicine and that old couple wouldn’t have to leave their house and become bankrupt.

When Michael Moore bought the group of people that did not have healthcare to Cuba, and the woman that spoke Spanish and I think had bad asthma (from the 9/11 incident) was angry that the medicine that she had to buy in America was so much less, in that Cuba pharmacy, it was only around 3 or 5 pesos but in America, it was around $200 dollars. Big difference! Additionally, the doctors in Cuba in the movie was very nice towards the group and the doctors gave them the treatments they need that U.S. would not give them because they do not have enough money to pay for it. Even though Cuba’s country is small and the welfare is less too, their care towards the people and the lack of technology they have are still better than U.S. If U.S. adopted a health care system that is like Cuba, the middle and poor class do not have to suffer as much. For my family, only my parents need to pay for the medicines but compared to Cuba’s currency, the price on the medicine is still larger than the price of medicine in Cuba. I do not think socialized medicine is a bad health care for all (although maybe bad for the rich) but since the majority of people in U.S. are in the middle and poor class, why can’t U.S. make the healthcare system for the majority?

In reading about the health care system in Cuba in the wikipedia, it seems that because of the U.S. who embargo against Cuba, half of the doctors left the country to go to the U.S. but before that, the mortality rate was the third lowest in the world and has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the region. As well as in the article in New York Times, it talks about the pros and cons of Cuba’s healthcare system. Cuba is different than America because “the Cuban system emphasizes early intervention. Clinic visits are free, and the focus is on preventing disease rather than treating it… ‘Because they don’t have up-to-date cars, they tend to have to exercise more by walking… And they may not have a surfeit of food, which keeps them from problems like obesity, but they’re not starving, either’ (said b Dr. Robert N. Butler)”. There is also “more than 45 million Americans lack basic health insurance” while the Cubans “have at least minimal free access to doctors” in the article. 45 million Americans is a lot! However, since U.S. is a big country, it is hard to change ways, but if it is able to change to somehow be similar to the Cuban’s healthcare system, isn’t that better? And maybe having not a lot of cars, people would start to walk more and the obesity rate wouldn’t go high, so the obesity people do not have to go to the hospitals (having to pay for the medical bills if it is serious) every so often?

After meeting the Danish people and knowing about the system, and how healthcare system is free because the government is paying for it, I think it gives a sense that the government is not abandoning anyone. Even though the tax rate is high, the people that came to the class to talk about their country seem to be satisfied with how the government is treating their people. The people do not need to pay for the hospital pay and has free Medicare. But they also “help” pay for medicine, glasses, and hearing devices. Very nice of them but in U.S. it doesn’t look like there’s much helping out going on. The middle and the poor class have to look out for themselves and their families but what does the rich people do to help? Or is it fake help that they are giving if they do give to be looked at as the good citizens?