When discussing universal healthcare, what is typically talked about is socialized medicine. It is a form of care where everyone has equal access to any medical need because all care options are government controlled. There is no option for privatized care in a true socialized system. Here are some of the other key points to consider in the socialized medicine pros and cons.
What Are the Pros of Socialized Medicine?
1. Medical rates are subsidized.
Socialized medicine creates a sliding scale based on what people can pay. This means everyone has the chance to take life saving medications or receive needed medical treatments no matter what their financial status may be.
2. There are no more monthly premiums.
Everything is paid for through the government in socialized medicine. It becomes based on consumption instead. The more things you purchase, then the more taxes get paid toward the costs of providing healthcare.
3. Everyone is always insured.
It doesn’t matter if you lose your job under socialized medicine. It doesn’t matter if your clients don’t pay you if you’re self-employed. You’re always insured – period.
What Are the Cons of Socialized Medicine?
1. There is no benefit to the best doctors.
In a free market system, the best doctors get the best salaries because they are good at what they do. In socialized medicine, everyone is treated the same, so there is no competitive reason to increase skills or knowledge.
2. Fewer research developments would occur.
Because everyone has access to the same subsidies and treatment options, there is less profitability in developing new treatments or medications.
3. It could create a preferential system of treatment.
If the government is in control of healthcare dollars, then they can dictate where that money gets spent. It may create a class system where highly educated people get a preferential system of healthcare options that aren’t available to others, creating a new economy of discrimination.
The socialized medicine pros and cons show that it can be a difficult system to implement fairly. With the government in control, there are fewer options to modify treatment options when needed. There are some advantages to this system, however, that could be included in a hybrid healthcare system that could better benefit everyone.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
