Private health care [Archive]

Orthodox Marxist

16th March 2006, 20:28

Ok, today I was having a massive debate with a friend about healthcare, he thinks that the private sector should be introduced to the NHS and I was saying it should remain nationalised...

He was unable to take on board the arguements about everyone being entitled to the same level of healthcare etc, cuba having a brilliant healthcare service and so on...

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with some arguements for nationalised healthcare which my friend couldn't ignore, maybe some solid facts as well

all help is appreciated

Currently there are around 45 million americans that lack any form of health insurance. The high cost of health Insurance is affect not only the poor but also the working class who are finding an increasing number of employers unable to provide their workers with adequate health insurance.

I was able to find some Informative facts about the current state of american health care.

The problems of accessing health care for the uninsured have been detailed extensively.4,5

• The uninsured are less likely to be able to fill prescriptions and more likely to pay much more of their money out-of-pocket for prescriptions. In a recent survey, one third of uninsured Americans reported that they were unable to fill a prescription drug in the last year because of the cost.

• The uninsured are 3-4 times more likely than those with insurance to report problems getting needed medical care, even for serious conditions. In one study, more than half of the uninsured postponed needed medical care due to financial concerns, while over one third went without a physician-recommended medical test or treatment due to financial concerns.

• The uninsured are less likely to have a regular source of health care. 40% of the uninsured do not have a regular place to go when they are sick or need medical advice, compared to less than 10% of the insured. As a result, 20% of the uninsured say their usual source of care is the emergency room, compared to just 3% of the insured.

• The uninsured are less likely to get needed preventive care. When compared to the insured, uninsured, non-elderly adults are 50% less likely to receive preventive care such as pap smears, mammograms, blood pressure checks, sigmoidoscopies, cholesterol screening, and prostate exams.

• The uninsured are more likely to be forced to delay medical services, affecting the timeline of diagnosis and thus the prognosis of the disease process. In one study, the time to diagnosis of late-stage cancer was compared between uninsured and privately insured patients. The uninsured patients were 1.7, 2.6, 1.4, and 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed late for colorectal cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, respectively.

• The uninsured are more likely to receive poor care for chronic diseases. Among non-elderly adult diabetics, a lack of insurance is associated with less glucose monitoring and fewer foot and eye exams, leading to an increased risk of hospitalization and disability. Uninsured individuals with end-stage renal disease are more likely to have progressed to a more advanced stage before beginning dialysis.

http://www.amsa.org/uhc/CaseForUHC.pdf

Also the health care capabilities and service in Cuba are far from adequate I have visited a few of their health care facilities.