Recently, Bernie Sanders comments on his beliefs for college and health care have gained a lot of public attention. He believes that free college and universal health care are not only a good idea but rather a human right. Since many other posts today have focused on Sanders platform and his chances at the Presidency, this post will instead focus entirely on the issues he has brought to light.
These are both very serious issues that continue to become a bigger deal. Since 1980, health care prices have increased by 4 times what it was and the cost of college has multiplied by 8.
I think when looking at the idea of universal health care, there are three options, the system we currently have, a private but closely regulated system, or a purely public system. Around the world, most first-world countries offer free health care, with countries such as Great Britain having free public health care and countries such as Germany having closely regulated private health care. Citizens in these countries have enjoyed a longer life span than Americans, which can partially be contributed to this but the main reason is likely the obesity problem that exists in this country. Personally, I believe a system in which we have a private system for almost everyone, except those who really can not afford it that is closely regulated is the best system. The current system is failing the people but at the same time having a purely public system would go against American ideals and be a major financial cost for the government. This system is best, because it allows the people to be protected while at the same time not increasing taxes or putting the country even more in debt.
When it comes to the issue of the price of college, despite the seriousness of the rising cost of college, I do not think the government can afford to make college free for everyone. The fact remains that we are a nation in serious debt and for this reason we do not have the luxury to make college free for everyone. I do think the government should definitely help lower the cost for public colleges which would in turn lower the cost for private colleges as well. I think there should be an initiative to help those pursuing a law or medical degree. These degrees require significant years of schooling and therefore significant costs and the truth is that many who would pursue these great professions simply cannot. We have a massive shortage on both doctors and lawyers. Also, helping remove the amount of student loan debt would actually help lower the cost of health care because doctors would not need to make as much in order to pay off their debt.
I leave you all with these questions:
Do you believe that as Bernie Sanders put it, universal health care and free college are human rights?
What do you think is the most plausible yet efficient system going forward? What are potential consequences of other platforms?
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/is-college-tuition-too-high.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/opinion/universal-health-care.html
http://usuncut.com/news/sanders-critics-free-college-health-care-not-controversial/
7 comments:
I believe these issues are important to discuss not in relation to Bernie Sanders as a candidate, but because these issues directly impact the majority of Americans and are becoming more and more relevant. The high prices for healthcare in the United States as well as the increasing college tuition costs are devastating to many Americans, as it means that many can not afford proper medical services or attend high level institutes of education, yet i do not believe that these services are human right. I think that human rights include freedom and liberty, but not necessarily college tuition and healthcare. These are services that i believe are beneficial to the people, but to expensive to be provided by the government. In an already struggling economy, i agree with "brandcow" that the government can not afford to make college free for all; it is simply not plausible or logical. That being said, i believe moving forward the most effective system would be to not provide free services for the people, but instead make them more affordable. This can not happen immediately, however, because our nation is not economically stable enough to lower health care prices significantly, but in time this will be a viable option. Healthcare should be made more affordable, but without a price the government would only be in more debt. When it comes to college, however, i believe that private institutions are in control of their tuition prices and it is not the role of the government to intervene. There are some schools that are more affordable than others, it is not as if $60,000 per year schools are the only options for college educations. My views, however, may vary significantly from many who believe, like Sanders, that healthcare and education are human rights and should be provided by the U.S. government. These vast differences in opinion can lead to policy gridlock further down the road when it comes time to make decisions on these issues.
I believe that free college should be available in America. An education is essential for anyone to be successful in today's society. A 2014 study found that people who have a college degree earn about $800,000 more than people with a high school degree. I understand that college is expensive and will be costly to make it free for everyone. European countries are able to make their colleges free because they tax more than the American government. For example, college is free in Germany and the German government taxes 49.3% in 2014. However, America only taxes american citizens 31.5%. I feel that the american government can increase taxes so that an education can be paid for. However, as Bernie Sanders has in his platform, I feel taxes should be increased on the 1% of the population. Since they have a significant amount of the wealth in America, they should be taxed more so that the average citizen can enjoy the benefits of that wealth as well. If taxes are increased on the lower classes that will only make people more poor and make affording an education more difficult.
http://college.usatoday.com/2014/05/19/college-grads-earn-800000-more-study-finds/
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-do-european-countries-afford-free-college-2015-6
I agree with Cat in that college should be free and can be considered a human right due to the increasing need for education. Denying people education out of religious discrimination should be prohibited as well as denying a person education due to their economic status. Thus, education becomes a civil right that ought to be protected by the federal government. This issue ties into the education gap between the U.S. and other countries in addition to the education gap between our wealthy and poor citizens.
Healthcare should be free for those unable to pay for their own, so theoretically, someone on welfare who is jobless and without prospects and someone who is disabled and unable to work would receive medical attention when needed. Certainly, healthcare ought to be well-regulated so that people with pre-existing conditions who need healthcare the most will not be denied coverage. These issues must be addressed federally, as states cannot guarantee that an appropirate amount will be set aside to fund college and healthcare.
I agree with Bernie Sanders's statement that universal health care and free college are human rights. Everyone should be supported by insurance in the case that they have a medical emergency or condition. Out of everyone, those who would be affected most detrimentally by medical expenses would be those who already cannot afford health care. If someone could not afford health insurance to begin with, how could they pay for their medical treatments when they have a medical issue later on? On the topic of free college, many Americans believe that the only way to succeed in this country is to get a higher education. In order to resolve issues like poverty, the class gap, and unemployment, people need to have access to education, and money should not be a hinderance to this right. Private institutions should be able to charge for tuition, and people can choose to attend these institutions if they are able and willing to pay. However, there should be public universities that allow people who do not have the finances to achieve higher education to obtain it regardless of money. If more financially supportive options are not made available to those who cannot afford higher education, then the unemployment rate will increase, as well as poverty.
I think something that is incredibly important to the education discussion is the enormous disparity in quality from public school to public school in the US. Compare, for example, the quality of our education at Ridgefield High School with the education an inner city public school receives. For many in low-income areas, going to college is a distant dream rather than an expectation, like it is for us. Like our textbook covered briefly, the government gives out money for education based on fairness and equality, rather than need. So, though there was an attempt to better the education of poor children, it ultimately conflicted with a previously set US law and thus is essentially void. The only way to elevate people out of poverty is to educate them-- whether it be technical education or traditional collegiate study. Making university more accessible for everyone would increase our country's prospects tenfold. Though it may be an initially large investment, the returns we would see from a better educated public are undeniable. As Caitlyn said, private institutions can and should still exist and charge what they want to, but I believe our country has a duty to its entire public to provide higher education at a manageable price.
While I feel that people have a right to education and proper medical care, I do not feel that college and health care should be made free - at the complete expense of the government. In an ideal world Bernie Sander's platform would work and provide Americans with the ability to pursue higher education and maintain their health at no expense to themselves. Although looking at these proposals realistically, there would be a cost and it would come in the form of much higher taxes. As Cat mentioned these taxes are already at 31.5%. While this figure may seem low in comparison to other, European, nations, that percentage is actually quite large for people in poverty. If the taxes were to increase that would mean more money coming out of their pockets. Furthermore we as a nation are currently at over $18.2 trillion in debt. That is astronomically high, and if these two services were to suddenly be made free then we most definitely could expect that debt to skyrocket. Therefore Bernie’s proposal, while it may sound nice, does not line up with the current financial resources that the United States has. Taking a closer look at his plan it would cost over $70 billion a year (just for the college aspect along), double what the government already spends on Pell grants. Additionally much of this money would be going to families who can already afford tuition costs. I agree with Caitlyn when she says that private universities should be able to charge what they wish for tuition costs, while the more financial aid/support should be given to those attending public universities. Therefore it would help to cushion the cost as well as help to force private institutions to lower their tuition costs so as to remain competitive. On the issue of healthcare, Obamacare is already in place and while it may not be perfect it has helped bring down the percentage of those uninsured from 18% to 11.4%. Additionally if you have an income of lower than $16,105 then you pay $0 (although many states didn’t sign up with this), and if you make under $17,235 then you pay no more than 4% of your income (for the Silver Plan). Therefore I feel that while improvements could be made to accommodate more people, at lower expenses, free healthcare at this moment is not possible.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/2015/05/27/why-bernie-sanders-free-public-college-plan-is-a-bad-idea
http://useconomy.about.com/od/healthcarereform/a/How-Much-Will-Obamacare-Cost-Me.htm
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/the-inconceivable-success-of-obamacare/?_r=0
I think that while Bernie Sanders makes a good point in that healthcare and college should be made available to all of those that want it, these are not unalienable human rights. The statement seems to be more grandiose than anything, hoping to make an impression on those seeking social change. Additionally, I believe that Sanders should be cautioned in enacting either; it has been shown time and time again how price fixing can lead to huge detriments in our economy. Reagan's price fixing of gas, for instance, caused a huge shortage that nobody would consider replicating today. College education is likely to be similar. If college education is made free to everybody, then the amount of people who want to attend public universities will skyrocket. There will be such an over-saturation in public colleges that trades may fall behind. On the other hand, by making school free for everybody, maybe only the best of the best will be able to fill the limited amount of spots, increasing the amount of competent people attending each university.
Healthcare is a different issue. While nobody should ever be denied healthcare, if it is made free it may happen to innovation in the medical industry that has marked the United States for so many years may disappear. The average cost to produce a drug, according to Boehringer Ingelheim, is $1.4 billion dollars. If profits cannot be made on such a drug in the 20 year period before the patent expires and generics can be made, the company is unable to use their equipment to make more drugs in the future. It is likely that the tax that would be added to pay for these huge expenses may seem unwieldy for many people, especially if everything will cost the same amount. Alternatively, there are many people who die every year because they cannot receive proper treatment without sacrificing everything they own.
While I support Sanders' integrity and willingness to talk on controversial topics, it seems right now that he is pandering to as many people as possible. As of yet he has not released any specifics of his plans, so I will remain skeptical.
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