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HEALTHCARE IN THE UNITED STATES
It is unconscionable that some countries, including the most powerful economies in the
world, ration healthcare services on the basis of the citizens’ financial ability. Bernice Sander,
the Vermont Senator, took an important motion to the Senate, arguing that healthcare should be
established as a basic right because everyone is entitled to life and good health irrespective of
their level of income. Statistics indicate that the U.S healthcare system is one of the most
expensive across the globe, yet service delivery is nowhere close to what is offered by other
developed nations such as the U.K, Australia, Italy and Canada.
The U.S is embarking on a rather challenging move to provide universal healthcare to
every citizen and this is the right way to go. This has been implemented in nations such as the
U.K, which have teamed up with private healthcare service providers to ensure that healthcare is
a right (Sanders, 2017). Humanity whether rich or poor, is exposed to the same genetic risks,
accidents and vulnerabilities that are risk factors for all types of illnesses. Wacasey (2017)
confirms that chronic mental and physical illnesses are life threatening and expensive to manage,
a reason why healthcare ought to be transformed into a universal service.
The country is pumping a considerable amount of income into the healthcare sector but
the budget is not properly utilized and some of the concerns raised so far are purely ethical.
Stakeholders hold the misconception that the rising cost of medications has raised the cost of
healthcare services in the United States and Europe at large but surprising, medications take up
15% of the healthcare budget (Sanders, 2017). Interventions such as inpatient care and long-
term nursing take up a significant part of this budget, yet they are only used by a small fraction
of Americans. Too much emphasis on sophisticated technology has taken up another large junk
off the healthcare budget and this can only change with a transformational focus. Stakeholders
