The United States should have a national health care system

The United States claims to be based upon a laissez faire free market system in which free exchange spurs internal growth and creates increasing wealth. If this is indeed the goal of the USA Americans must recognize that free exchange cannot exist in the health care industry without regulation. The creation of a government option in the healthcare industry is needed in order to prevent against patients being taken advantage of by their physicians.

While I certainly agree with the premise of the laissez faire economic system, I believe that there are certain sections of society that do not conform to this theory. The idea of free trade is based upon the ability of individuals to make rational decisions and make pricing comparisons. An individual facing an urgent medical condition does not have the time to investigate alternative treatment prices and locations. Furthermore, transport to another location in order to receive treatment drastically increases the financial burden in receiving care.

As a citizen of Canada I receive health care through a national insurance program and elements which are not covered are left to our own expenses. Doctors are paid by the government program which sets an agreed upon rate for certain procedures. Any procedure not covered by the insurance program is paid by the individual. While this system is not ideal I believe that it has prevented patients from being turned away with serious conditions due to their inability to afford a particular doctor's set price. The United States could easily create a superior health care system where doctors are mandated to allocate a percentage of their time to working under a national health care plan while still enabling them to run their private practise and see patients who wish to accelerate the process.

The current health care system in the United States has numerous flaws which can be remedied by implementing a Government Option or another version of a national health care system.