Both sides of the gun, Socialized Medicine.

Socialized medicine is a government sponsored program which provides free health care services to its citizens. Usually funded by a health care treasury or health care tax, socialized medicine is available in most European countries as well as in Canada and other parts of the world. However, the United States continues to have a privatized health care system which many people don’t have access to or are not able to afford. In these cases, Medicaid and Medicare are available to act as medical insurance for low income residents and senior citizens. Although provided by the government, Medicaid quite often does not provide full comprehensive coverage and only covers the five basic health care needs: inpatient hospital care, outpatient hospital care, physician’s services, nursing home care for adults and laboratory and x-rays services. Other services are only available once deemed eligible by Medicaid.

In spite of the large number of people without health insurance or on Medicaid/Medicare in the United States, Congress rejected a bill from President Clinton in 1993 proposing universal health care coverage. Opponents of the bill said is too expensive and required too much direct government regulation to be considered cost effective. Those for the bill argued that costs would be defrayed as overall health of the population increased due to so many people receiving proper medical for the first time in years, or perhaps in their life. Socialized medicine however differs from universal health care in that universal health care ensures coverage for everyone while socialized medicine means the government controls the health care industry, paying the doctors salaries and providing facilities.

Some people in the U.S. champion socialized medicine or universal health care as a way to decrease the widening gap between the poor and middle class, at least in terms of health care. Others argue that socialized medicine would slow down the progress on research and development of new medicines and procedures and create a giant, government operated bureaucracy as a health care system. As health care costs continue to increase, the debate of socialized medicine vs. privatized health care is sure to appear at the fore front of political speeches

The socialized medicine debate in America