The costs of affordable health care and government run healthcare have become an enormous political argument over the past few years. The healthcare debate dates back to 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt included government-funded healthcare in his "New Deal" as a part of his social security legislation. Government run healthcare has been debated many times. Many people believe that government run healthcare is a mistake. Many believe that healthcare services will fail if run by the government. Citizens are overlooking the fact that we already have government run healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid. Before Medicare and Medicaid millions of Americans did not have healthcare coverage. It
took decades of efforts to put these programs in place. It is possible that it will take decades to implement government funded healthcare coverage for all citizens. Another concern is funding. Can the government afford to cover healthcare cost for all citizens?
Hospital room and board and medical treatment prices are rising. Many of the price increases are due to new technology and advances in science. Prescription drug cost continues to grow. In order to control cost, the government will have to regulate the cost of prescription drugs, and continue to regulate payment for service charges covered by private insurances, Medicare and Medicaid. Drug prices should be negotiated with suppliers by the federal government to control costs.
Canadian healthcare is one example of government-funded healthcare. Canada's health care system is publicly funded, socialized health insurance plan that provides coverage to all Canadian citizens. The government-funded plan is administered on a provincial or territorial basis, within guidelines set by the federal government.
Under the health care system, individual citizens are provided preventative care and medical treatments from primary care physicians as well as access to hospitals, dental surgery and additional medical services. With a few exceptions, all citizens qualify for health coverage regardless of medical history, personal income, or standard of living. Certainly, the U.S. should examine this model. Federal guidelines will measure quality of care. Deductibles on basic healthcare would be nonexistent, or low. Healthcare will not be loss due to loss of job, change of job, lifetime limits, or pre existing illnesses.