Health Care Debate

When I was in high school, I joined America’s health care debate. Yes, health care was the topic, and I was on the debate team.

Some argue that resolved, everyone should be able to visit a doctor and receive health care. In our current system, you can find an emergency room to treat you regardless of your financial situation, though it may be inefficient and is unlikely to provide you with preventative care. Currently, there is a list of tax deductible medical expenses for those with high expenses. Some say our current system is good enough.

Others argue that resolved, the government should pay for a defined list of health care expenses, including preventative care. Medicare and Medicaid cover a list of medical expenses for older Americans, and may be the model for an expansion of government financed health care. The insurance companies are arguing for their role, as well.

I would like to see an expansion of government financed health care, as infant mortality statistics for the United States are embarrassing. As our next priority, let's subsidize care for children and expectant mothers, then we can expand preventative care. Would Medicare for everyone be a radical idea?


P.S.: My team argued the "squirrel case" that medical records should be posted on Google Docs. (We were ahead of our time as Google was not yet a company. 'Google' meant one with one hundred zeros after it.)

Update: Paul Krugman, New York Times, representing the left, says "Medicare, Medicare, Medicare" is the way to frame the debate. Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, representing the right, now says FDR sagely would propose "Medicare for all." So, maybe I have captured the consensus. To quote John Hodgman, "Your welcome".