Do you want your taxes to go up? Well I do, and after reading this piece, I hope you will too!
Before you skip this reading, please let me explain. Did you know that in 2021, the United States spent $4.3 trillion on healthcare? Were you aware that 10% of the United States population is uninsured? That seems like a lot of spending for a system that doesn’t even help one in ten Americans. You might now be wondering what can be done to address this issue.
Imagine a healthcare system that leaves nobody uninsured, guarantees the best healthcare for the world’s richest country, and logically raises your taxes. That’s the idea behind universal healthcare—a system truly funded by the people, for the people. Universal healthcare, by definition, is a system that ensures everyone in society has access to quality healthcare services at affordable prices.
First, I should clarify my position as one that doesn’t just raise your taxes but one that could save you thousands of dollars in private premiums. The Physicians for a National Health Program provides a helpful analogy: an office worker whose labor equates to an annual salary of $65,000 pays a $15,000 premium each year for her private healthcare—so she only gets $50,000 (before taxes). An executive who makes a million dollars a year is paying the same $15,000 premium for his healthcare. What a rip-off! Instead, universal healthcare would replace that $15,000 premium with a 6% income tax increase (or roughly $3,900 for the office worker). Now that the premium is gone, the office worker earns $65,000 a year and pays less than $4,000 of that for her healthcare—saving her money. Sounds like an equitable win-win that we all could benefit from.
You might wonder if this is realistic with our system of slow-working politics. But actually, lawmakers are already pushing for a transition to a universal healthcare system known as Medicare for All in Congress. The Medicare for All Act of 2023 was introduced in Congress by Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Debbie Dingell as well as Senator Bernie Sanders. Over 113 representatives (more than a quarter of the U.S. House of Representatives) have co-sponsored the bill. Hundreds of advocacy groups at the national, local, and state levels also support Medicare for All.
So what would Medicare for All do for us? For one, it would expand Medicare coverage to every single person in the United States instead of restricting it to only those age 65 or older. Primary care, dental and vision, mental health care, substance abuse prevention, reproductive health care, and much more would be covered under Medicare for All.
Unfortunately, because Medicare for All would actually help people, private insurance agencies will warn you against it and denounce it as a great evil that will hurt you in the end. Conservative groups like One Nation argue universal healthcare systems like Medicare for All would increase wait times for hospital care.
While I believe universal healthcare would cause increased wait times temporarily, I also believe that, in the long run, because people would be getting the healthcare they need without the risk of financial ruin, they will seek preventive care. With that, we would gradually see those wait times go down. But make no mistake: the way things are now, with nearly 10% of the US uninsured, is not okay and it’s about high time we started thinking of our healthcare as a right and not a privilege.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t cost much to be a good person and ensure everyone (including yourself) has access to great healthcare. In fact, you could end up saving money! With the pandemic-era healthcare benefits set to expire this year, Medicare for All would keep you, your family and friends, and your fellow Americans healthy and without a massive dent in your pockets. If you could take a few minutes out of your day to contact your representatives and your senators and reach out to your friends to do the same, it could mean the difference between having to pay $15,000 or $4,000 for your healthcare.
Oh, and when calling your congressional representatives to support the Medicare for All Act, be sure to start your plea with “I want my taxes to go up!” It’s sure to grab their attention.
Zain Punjwani is a member of the class of 2026 and can be reached at zpunjwani@wesleyan.edu.