By Leannah Rivera ’27
Imagine being put in a situation where you or your family becomes seriously injured or ill. Instead of going to the hospital to receive the medical attention that is needed, you choose not to go because you’re too worried and scared of the debt you will end up in. Unfortunately, the high cost of medical care in the United States is a reality for many people. To prove this, over 56 percent of Americans reported being worried about “paying medical costs for serious illness or accident” (Fralick). Not only that, but nearly two out of five people who are in medical debt are forced to cut back on necessities like rent, food, or even heat. This issue doesn’t only affect adults, but this situation impacts us as students too (Collins et al.). Acknowledging that healthcare should be considered a basic human right requires the U.S. to change the healthcare system. Compared to other countries, the United States faces challenges of healthcare accessibility, affordability, and outcomes, showing the importance of having a universal healthcare system.
When comparing the United States to other wealthy countries, you see many differences when it comes to healthcare. Unlike many developed countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and most European countries, they all provide universal healthcare for all their citizens (Collins et al.). This means that millions of people in the U.S. don’t have the same reliable access to things like treatments, doctors, or medicine compared to other countries. Research shows that every other developed country has a government-run healthcare system, which is helping all of their citizens. Even though the United States has the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which helped insure over 27 million Americans, there are still so many people without it (Fralick). This is important to everyone, even us as students, because illnesses and accidents can leave you or your family with a huge medical bill. Seeing the differences between the United States and other countries shows the importance of everyone having access to healthcare, and also shows that it is possible to have a better healthcare system.
Although there are people who have health insurance in the U.S., it doesn’t change the fact that it still costs a ton of money and isn’t affordable. In March 2025, a poll was taken that showed that around 31 million Americans borrowed 74 million dollars just to be able to pay for their health needs. On average, one person costs $12,914 each year (Fralick). This makes it very difficult for families to afford just basic healthcare. Having universal health coverage isn’t just about everything being free for everyone; it’s about letting people have access to the essentials for being able to survive, without having to worry about the debt they might experience (“Universal health coverage (UHC)”).
The main focus on this problem is simply that everyone deserves access to healthcare and should be seen as a basic human right. Having good health allows people to live their lives and do the things they enjoy while having accessible healthcare. Without it, it not only affects your physical well-being but also causes all the unnecessary stress of having to worry about debt or the cost of a simple check-up bill. After bettering the U.S. healthcare system, Americans could finally stop viewing treatments and healthcare as a privilege, but as a human right. In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized this when proposing the “Second Bill of Rights.”, which included healthcare as a human right. The US signed and ratified international treaties that humans have the right to live and nobody can kill each other, but the U.N. committee claims the right to live doesn’t exist without having access to affordable health care (Mollmann). We need to keep educating ourselves and push for a better system, especially since we are the next generation of voters, and recognize healthcare as a fundamental right.
Having universal access to healthcare will provide the solutions that will significantly benefit Americans and even society. By making sure everyone receives the medical care that they deserve, it will improve health all over the United States and close the gap between those who can and cannot afford healthcare. You can use other countries with universal coverage as an example, where people are less likely to become poor because of medical bills, which helps everyone and even makes society more stable and better (Zieff). Now imagine the U.S., where no one is panicking about the cost of healthcare, where just being sick won’t send you into debt. Seeing many other developed countries being able to achieve universal health coverage, it means that it’s possible for the United States, too. Right now, the U.S. sees physicians less often than people in most other countries and has the lowest rate of practicing physicians and available hospital beds per 1,000 people (Gunja et al.). Reforming our healthcare system will make people healthier and build a stronger community. But mainly giving everyone, even us as students, a fair chance to do well.
But even with all of this, many people worry that having universal healthcare would cause taxes to increase. For example, when “Medicare for All” was proposed, it mentioned how it would cost an additional $32 trillion. Also suggesting that taxes would need to increase 20% (“Medicare for All: Higher Taxes, Fewer Choices, Longer Lines”). Even though listening to the information might make you think that it costs way more than not having universal health coverage, people also need to remember that, per person, it is 12,914 dollars in the U.S., which is way more than any other country (Fralick). It’s almost double what other developed nations are spending. Either way, Americans are lacking access to basic healthcare. We are already paying a high cost due to premiums for insurance, out-of-pocket, or random surprise payments. Having universal health coverage will be very beneficial, and possible for the United States, due to the example of other countries.
Most importantly, even we, as high school students, can take action. Although we can’t vote, there are still many other ways to influence and support having universal healthcare. Keeping yourself and the people around you educated on this topic will make it easier for you to explain to people why this matters. Sharing information through social media or other resources will encourage people who can vote, support leaders or policies that will help push for free healthcare. By staying informed and speaking up, we can change the future of healthcare for the better. Where people don’t worry about going into debt because of an accident or illness, but most importantly, understand that healthcare is a right and not a privilege.
Works Cited
Collins, Sara R., et al. “Healthcare Affordability in America.” Commonwealth Fund, 26 October 2023, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/surveys/2023/oct/paying-for-it-costs-debt-americans-sicker-poorer-2023-affordability-survey. Accessed 12 May 2025.
Fralick, Pamela C. “Universal Health Care | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Medicare, Medicaid, & Insurance.” Britannica, 7 May 2025, https://www.britannica.com/procon/universal-health-care-debate. Accessed 12 May 2025.
Gunja, Munira Z., et al. “Global Perspective on U.S. Health Care.” Commonwealth Fund, 31 January 2023, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2023/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2022. Accessed 12 May 2025.
“Medicare for All: Higher Taxes, Fewer Choices, Longer Lines.” Senate Republican Policy Committee, 4 December 2018, https://www.rpc.senate.gov/policy-papers/medicare-for-all-higher-taxes-fewer-choices-longer-lines. Accessed 14 May 2025.
Mollmann, Marianne. “Health care is a human right—and that means universal access.” Harvard Public Health Magazine, 9 August 2022, https://harvardpublichealth.org/equity/health-care-is-a-human-right/. Accessed 12 May 2025.
“Universal health coverage (UHC).” World Health Organization (WHO), 26 March 2025, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc). Accessed 12 May 2025.
Zieff, Gabriel. “Universal Healthcare in the United States of America: A Healthy Debate.” National Library of Medicine, 30 October 2020, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7692272/. Accessed 12 May 2025.
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