The Repercussions of a Universal Health Program in the United States

The implementation of a universal health program in the U. S. is one of the many plans presented by President Barack Obama during his campaign several months ago. (AP, 2007) Now that Obama is the president, we might be expecting this particular response to problems in health care that have been a burden to many Americans in the past years. However, will a nationalized, universal health program resolve the various issues that have been plaguing health care over the years?

Reviewing the possible upshots or consequences of this program would serve as rejoinders to this question. A nationalized, universal health program is a seeming response to the problem of limited healthcare coverage in the country although compared with other nations; the U. S. spends large amounts of money for this particular service. (AP, 2007) In general, a universal health program will provide all citizens of the U. S. ith health insurances regardless of the guidelines previously set as qualifications for individuals who are allowed to access healthcare insurance and services.

Other issues addressed by a universal health programs is the high cost of healthcare services and medicine, the involvement of private insurance companies in providing healthcare insurance to all, and the prevention of medical errors. (“Healthcare,” N. D. ) The positive effects of a universal health program constitute healthcare access to all the citizens of the U.

S. , whether they are employed or unemployed, obtaining extreme salary ranges or household incomes, and such. However, the program might not gain support from the private sector, particularly insurance providers and employers, as well as other people who do not wish to experience high taxes. Insurance providers will be out of business and the people will be expecting tax increases to provide for healthcare resources.

Medical health professionals and healthcare workers might suffer from the increase in number of people who require health care services, leading to the need of expanding the country’s healthcare workforce, and consequentially, resources to fund the expanded workforce. In addition, the quality of healthcare might not undergo improvements or developments due to limited funding, since majority of healthcare resources are allocated to providing healthcare insurance to all.

Overall, although the universal health program is an excellent way for the government to address the needs of its people, there are various issues and challenges that must be resolved to ensure the smooth facilitation and implementation of the program. The government should look for ways to arrive at a consensus with private insurance providers, encourage citizens to establish careers in healthcare, and to assure the citizens that tax raises will be able to resolve the issues of limited access to healthcare in the country affecting the health and welfare of the people.