The Conservative Case for Universal Healthcare
How to debate a conservative on universal healthcare
Introduction
Have you ever debated or argued with anyone on healthcare? Have they voiced their concern against universal healthcare? If the answer is no, you need to get out of your bubble and explore the people around you more. If the answer is yes, maybe its time to challenge them and introduce them to the Conservative Case for Universal Healthcare.
Debate on healthcare needs to be segmented into two broad categories — the morality aspect and the monetary aspect. Intermixing the two makes the case for universal healthcare tougher and cumbersome. Lets look at both the cases.
Morality of Universal Healthcare
Healthcare as a Human Right
This is the first trap universal health care advocates fall for. Saying that ‘people are losing their lives due to lack of access to healthcare’ might be emotionally touching to some, but on a legal standpoint means nothing. Calling it a human right or the ‘morally right thing to do’ is a losing argument because morality is highly subjective.
Instead, an easier objective is putting it within the brackets of essential services like the police or the fire department. Why should healthcare be different? Many who oppose universal healthcare tend to support increased funding of law enforcement. Play them on their game.
Counter Response — What makes healthcare any less essential than the police or fire services? People don’t choose to get robbed(except Jussie Smolett), they get robbed and need the police to help them. People don’t choose to burn their homes (except insurance fraudsters), they get burnt down and need firefighters to save them. Similarly, people don’t choose to fall sick (except antivax covidiots), they fall sick and need medical help when that happens.
But Private Companies will Be Forced to Shut Down
This is the point where liberals get completely wrong on healthcare. Suddenly the conservative conscience of morality will light up and say “Millions of people employed by the private healthcare will lose their jobs”. Will I support Bernie’s healthcare plan? Absolutely not. A very important concept with Universal Healthcare is that the government need not be the provider of payments and services. Countries like Switzerland, Netherlands or Israel do not have the government running all hospitals or payments. In fact, Switzerland does not even have a Medicare equivalent. It is completely private but with strict regulations on insurance premium pricing and hospital billing.
Counter Response: Universal healthcare can be achieved with your beloved Cigna, Humana, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield and others. Tight regulations and strong oversight is what is needed.
The Monetary Aspect of Universal Healthcare
Impact of Quality on Cheaper Healthcare
This is one of the favourite points conservatives love to drag — that as healthcare becomes government controlled, there will be a reduction in quality. This claim has been busted multiple times. The United States has one of the worst healthcare outcomes among the developed countries. Having a Mayo Clinic as the world’s best or a Cleveland Clinic as the world’s second best doesn’t make the outcomes of healthcare for an average American any better.
Imagine if Luis Vuitton was a Congolese brand of clothing and if someone said that people have access to the best clothing in the DRC because Louis Vuitton is from there — sounds absurd isn’t it? The same follows with healthcare in the United States.
Counter Response: Show me large scale incidents of individuals in G7 countries not being able to get the required healthcare in their home country that they have to go abroad? The theory of Canadians coming to the USA for emergency medical procedure has been debunked countless times.
It Will Lead to Increased Taxation
This is another trap. The left leaning advocates call for a Nordic model of healthcare, and that is another losing argument. Stop looking at the Nordic Countries and instead look at New Zealand, Singapore or Switzerland — all countries with a lower tax rate than most income tax rates in the United States. It is a hybrid system where the government mostly plays the role of the regulator rather than the service provider for most part.
Counter Response: With the size of the United States, universal healthcare through multi-payer and private delivery can be accomplished by modifying legislation and introducing concepts of price caps for insurance premiums as well as for medical procedures.
But Private Healthcare Has Never Been Actually Private
This is worst argument some conservatives bring out — that the market in the United States is not a free market and not private. This is another trap and getting into the fine print will enable the conservative side to get manipulative on semantics.
Counter Response: That statement is as flawed as socialism has never worked anywhere because true socialism was never practised. They will agree with the former statement, so just drag this there and its all clear.
Conclusion — Universal is Not Always Single Payer
If we want universal healthcare in the United States, the best we will get is a universal multi-payer system with 100% private service and delivery, but with very strong oversight on pricing. Advocating for a government run healthcare program is not the best choice for America, knowing its size and complications. If the goal is to increase healthcare coverage, this is the best we will get.
