Remember perils of universal health care

Let's learn from the mistakes of our fellow members of the union that government-implemented universal health care is simply not the answer to the health insurance ailments of our nation.

The unprecedented 2006 Massachusetts law that, according to David Fahrenthold of The Washington Post, "requires all residents to purchase health insurance or face legal penalties," ultimately causes a massive time and fiscal strain on the state's primary care doctors, resulting in poor quality of care for citizens. Physicians are facing four to six new patients per day and distinctly low insurance reimbursements, according to Kevin Sack of The New York Times. This has produced a 56 percent increase in wait time for customers, bringing new meaning to the term "patient."

This, added to the fact that the number of medical school graduates in the U.S. entering family medicine residencies has dropped by 50 percent since 1997, provides a clear cautioning to the citizens and lawmakers of our country. Though some may argue that despite these warnings, the rising cost of health care in America pardons the misgivings of this system, and therefore it must be implemented nationwide. However, episodic medical care is simply not an appropriate solution, especially in an era in which, as stated by President Obama, there is "a clear consensus that the need for health care reform is here and now" (Associated Press). To credit Obama, his call for compromise has been well-received across the nation, as he announced, "Each of us must accept that none of us will get everything we want..." But we cannot take Obama's words for granted. We must bear in mind that compromise does not mean forgetting the events of history. Universal health care is not right for our country, and we must use Massachusetts's example by remembering the regrettable consequences of its implementation.

Kendra Benner

sophmore, Naperville North High School