This post is a response to the question “Does free health care actually exist?” by @anniebburg.
What is universal health care?
According to the World Health Organization, universal health care is the ability for all people to “have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship” (World Health Organization). In the universal health care model, each citizen financially contributes to the nation-wide insurance plan. By collectivizing the health care industry, the government has the ability to lower medical costs.
Is it actually free?
To answer the question straight to the point, no. Free health care does not exist. Nothing in life is truly free and universal health care is not an exception.
Though the cost of medical treatment lowers, it does not mean it is free. The doctors, nurses, and countless other professionals in this industry still deserve a respectable income. With universal health care, the healthy citizens pay for the brunt of the bill. Approximately “the sickest 5% of the population create 50% of total health care costs, while the healthiest only create 3% of the costs” (Amadeo, 2021). This creates less financial incentive for people to stay healthy. Why bother looking after your health when it's free?
Canada
Looking directly to our neighbor in the north, Canada has a well established universal health care system. Their health care spending reached 11.5% of their entire GDP in 2017 (Tikkanen et al, 2020). Canada primarily supports universal health care through taxes. The average Canadian pays approximately $6000 to $7000 per year in taxes for their health care system. To reduce overall costs and to maintain a reasonable budget, the Canadian government implements a handful of control measures such as: “mandatory global budgets for hospitals and regional health authorities,” “negotiate fee schedules for providers,” “drug formularies for provincial drug plans,” and “resource restrictions for physicians and nurses (such as provincial quota for students admitted annually,” (Tikkanen et al, 2020).
Sources:
Amadeo, K. (2021). What is Universal Health Care? The Balance. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.thebalance.com/universal-health-care-4156211.
Tikkanen, R., Osborn, R., Mossialos, E., Djordjevic, A., & Wharton, G. A. (2020). Canada. Home. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/canada#universal-coverage.
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Universal Health Coverage. World Health Organization. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/universal-health-coverage#tab=tab_1.