Universal healthcare provides Americans the security need in uncertain times | Opinion – Tennessean

Critics say universal healthcare limit American freedom, but it can provide citizens with a more affordable, healthier and happier healthcare system.

Jeremy C. Kourvelas| Guest Columnist

Tennessee Voices: A conversation with Amanda Bracht

Amanda Bracht, senior VP for clinical services of Mental Health Cooperative of Middle Tennessee, spoke with Tennessean opinion editor David Plazas.

Nashville Tennessean

It is no secret that the costs of healthcarein this country have long been spiraling out of control. Two-thirds of all bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical debt whereas medical bankruptcy is virtually non-existent in the rest of the industrialized world.

Americans spend over twice as much for healthcare. Premiums continue to rise with no tangible return on investment.Often critics of socialized medicine laud our quality of care as a reason to support our fractured system,but what good is this argument?

Universal healthcare would free small business owners from having to provide coverage while simultaneously enhancing the freedom of the worker. Lifespans could be longer,people could be happier and healthier in systems that are simpler and more affordable.

Losing your job is a direct threat to your health-- the added stress alone can be caustic.Mental health coverage could bedramatically improved under universal coverage.It'sno surprise that every country with some form of universal healthcare is statistically happier than the United States.

Health insurance was originally created to save patients from the economic impact of illness.Access to primary, preventative care would improve under universal healthcare.Catching diseases before they become emergencies not only leads to better healthcare outcomes, but its also cheaper.

Unfortunately we havea for-profit system and economic burden is the rule, not the exception.The foremost criticism of universal healthcare is long waits, but this tragically ignores the fact that the U.S. already has unacceptably long wait times, especially for specialists.

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People avoid treatment for fear of cost, ultimately depending upon the ER for treatment that could have been handled far more efficiently and inexpensively. Other countries, likeSwitzerland and the U.K., with universal health carebeat us in terms of wait times.

Medicare and Medicaid were created to cover seniors and low income populations, as they are most at risk of being uninsured. However, because their collective risk for illness is also higher, they have to be subsidized, in this case by tax dollars.Unfortunately, Medicaid varies dramatically by state and Medicare is running out of money.

Younger people are far less likely to use the healthcare coverage they pay for by the simple fact of being healthier.Currently, the majority buy insurance from for-profit companies that keep a large chunk of that cash.

In other words, money paid by patients for healthcare services is kept as private gains by denying coverage.If the healthier individuals were included in the same risk pools as those of higher risk, the surplus could instead subsidize, significantly bringing costs down in onestreamlined system.There is plenty of money to spare, as health insurance CEOs make tens of millions of dollars every year.

Those who argue against universal healthcare often claim that it limits the freedom to choose ones doctor, hospital or treatment. The freedom to choose the doctors thatwe want is already limited by forcing us into networks.

In our current system, losing your job means you can lose your doctor.With universal coverage, you could lose your job and still be able to keep your doctor without a single interruption. Universal healthcare is a fiscally responsible system that facilitates more freedom,more health service and better outcomes.

Jeremy C. Kourvelas is the Vice President of the Public Health Graduate Student Association and a Master's candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

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Universal healthcare provides Americans the security need in uncertain times | Opinion - Tennessean