Universal Health Care Overview

Overview
The notion of universal health care in the United States is a decidedly polarizing one, which is why this author chose it. Universal health care is a single payer system in which healthcare is subsidized by the government with equal, free access to all. The audience for this document is the array of health care insurance companies. Many people deride such a notion as a harbinger of socialism, which in itself is merely a precursor to communism.
Barkan, Ross. “Universal Healthcare in America? Not a Taboo Now, Thanks to Bernie Sanders”. www.theguardian.com 2017. Web. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/14/universal-healthcare-america-bernie-sanders
This source highlights the growing popularity of a single-payer, universal healthcare system among numerous democrats. It contextualizes this information around a bill proposed by Bernie Sanders, who gained notoriety for running for president last year.
The strength of this sources is its recentness, as it was published two months ago. It directly informs the issue of universal healthcare by presenting it as one gaining credence in political circles, especially those involving democrats today.
American Medical Student Association. “The Case for Universal Health Care”. www.amsa.org 2015. Web. https://www.amsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/CaseForUHC.pdf
This source presents a persuasive argument for why universal healthcare deserves implementation in the United States. The authors buttress this stance from three different angles. The first is the based on the moral rectitude of this solution, the second pertains to its economic advantages, and the third details its cultural boons.
The primary distinction of this source is that it is aimed for those involved in the healthcare industry, since it was written for medical students who will become future healthcare practitioners.
Vladeck, Bruce. “Universal Health Insurance in the United States: Reflections on the Past, the Present, and the Future.” American Journal of Public Health. 93(1), 16-19. 2002. Print.
Vladeck’s scholarly article examines the reasons why the United States is one of the only fully developed nations lacking universal healthcare. In doing so he stratifies these reasons according to historical/cultural ones and political/structural ones.
Vladeck’s article is well sourced and published in a peer-reviewed journal. However, it is somewhat outdated since it was published in the early years of the previous decade. One of its strengths is the historical sources the author uses.
Reisman, Miriam. “Universal Health Care In America: Can the Massachusetts Model Work Nationwide?” Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 33(9), 544-545. 2008. Print.
Reisman’s article provides a fairly detailed case study for a plan that is close to universal health effected in Massachusetts prior to the establishment of the Affordable Care Act. The author details minimum mandates, requirements, and pharmaceutical coverage.
The primary weakness of this article is the fact that it is dated. It is discussing a model similar to the Affordable Care Act when such a model was a novelty. Additionally, there is not a suitable distinction between such a plan and truly universal health care.
U.S. News & World Report. “3 Reasons the U.S. Doesn’t Have Universal Health Coverage.” www.usnews.com 2016. Web. https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2016-10-26/3-reasons-the-us-doesnt-have-universal-health-coverage
This article codifies three reasons for the lack of universal healthcare in the United States. The first is that culturally, the country is too individualistic to have massive adoption of such a plan. Other reasons include the powerful interest groups lobbying against it, and the historical difficulty associated with enacting entitlement programs in the country.
This article is recent and highlights contemporary reasons for the dearth of universal healthcare coverage. However, it is not very well sourced. The author makes generalizations without sufficient supporting efforts to buttress them.
Fisher, Max. “Here’s a Map of the Countries That Provide Universal Healthcare (America’s Still Not on It).” www.theatlantic.com 2012. Web. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/heres-a-map-of-the-countries-that-provide-universal-health-care-americas-still-not-on-it/259153/
Fisher’s article is predicated on the cogent fact that America is one of the few countries in the developed world without universal healthcare. The author details some of the reasons why universal healthcare is not found in developing countries.
The strength of this article is in the illustrative infographic which offers a color-coded map of the world. Thus, readers are able to see the overarching premise that universal healthcare is conspicuously missing from the U.S.
Leonard, Kimberly. “Could Universal Health Care Save U.S. Taxpayers Money?” www.usnews.com 2016. Web. https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2016/01/22/could-universal-health-care-save-us-taxpayers-money
Leonard’s article is focused on the economic effects of the current healthcare system in the U.S. She points to a number of different statistics that emphasize the inordinate spending on healthcare in this country, even compared to those with universal care.
Leonard’s article is well written and current. A good part of the evidence used relies on data furnished from a peer-reviewed article which provides numerous statistical data.
Himmelstein, David and Woolhandler, Steffie. “The Current and Projected Share of U.S. Health Costs”. The American Journal of Public Health. 106(3), 449-452. Print. 2016.
This article tabulates spending on healthcare in America through 2016. The authors also use this information to effect projections for future spending. The premise is such spending is already a form of universal healthcare.
The authors obtained the majority of their data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They also gained tax information from local and state authorities to calculate subsidies. Such empirical evidence is useful.
Skocpol, Theda and Jacobs, Lawrence. “Bending Toward Universal Health Care”. www.nytimes.com 2012. Print. https://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/bending-historys-arc-toward-universal-health-care/
This article outlines many of the pieces of the Affordable Care Act legislation which had recently been deemed constitutional when the article was published. It attests to the variances and similarities between it and universal health care.
Published in 2012, this article is dated. However, its primary utility is in denoting the points of contrasts and comparison between so-called Obamacare and true universal healthcare. It is well researched.
Arnquist, Sarah. “Health Care Abroad: Canada”. www.nytimes.com 2009. Web. https://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/health-care-abroad-canada/
Arnquist’s article utilizes the Canadian health care system as a case study for universal care. She elucidates some of its more salient points and how they compare to those for the U.S. health care system.
This article relies on a subject matter expert from academia specializing in health care in Canada. It is a question and answer interview which readers can peruse at leisure.