What should be free?
We’ve been reading through all of your suggestions for good Topical Talk discussions and this one by compelling_hurricane really caught our attention! They said:
Should healthcare be free? Many countries don’t have free healthcare. This means a lot of people sadly lose their lives, just because they don’t have enough money for treatment or medicine. Does this happen where you live?
This got us thinking. For a government to make healthcare free, it has to find the money to pay for it. For example, it might raise taxes or take the money from somewhere else - such as, education, environmental protection or the military.
Well done, compelling_hurricane – you’ve earned 5 stars!
Back to you to respond:
- Do you think healthcare should be free? If yes, where should the money come from to pay for it?
- Should any other public services be free? If yes, which? If no, why not?
Let us know what you think in the comments. This is a good post to start an interesting debate on – so challenge yourself to respond directly to other Topical Talkers directly!
Comments (88)
I feel that healthcare should be made free to make it affordable to everyone around the world.If you personally ask me where to get these funds for providing healthcare for free,I would point it out to the defence expenditure.Most of the nations,spend huge amount of their budget on defence.The main reason for this is lack of harmony among nations.I do understand that this is for the safety purpose of each and every country.But my question is,why is there a need to spend so much on defence and armory and to wage wars and battles?In what way are we going to get benefited by it.This fund on defence which leads to further destruction and devastation of life can be channelized towards healthcare sector which can save millions of life.A certain limit has to set for every country on their defence expenditure.Next to this, government can collect extra taxes on luxury goods.When many people are still struggling to get their basic needs,I think it is necessary for the government to step in and redistribute this excess money with the rich to the poor not necessarily in the form of money but in the form of services such as this.Next to the healthcare sector,I beleive that education should also be provided at free of cost.Education is what that shapes a country's future and contributes for further development and growth.So providing education at free of cost to everyone will reap greater benefits for the country in the future.
If one day a war breaks out in a country, how can the country defend itself as long as there is no money in the defense fund?
I agree with you in your words, but I do not agree with you in terms of neglecting the Defense Fund.
Defense and health are also important elements.
I thank for you posing this question glorious_lake.That's why I have mentioned to set limits for every country on their defence expenditure.Every country should spend the same amount on defence and must have the same level of defence resources.This can be made as a law or an agreement should be signed by every country and strict supervision has to be made by organisations such as UN to ensure that this is
being followed.This limit to spend on defence must be fixed at a very minimal level.Thus no country is going to spend so much on something which is not going to productive or useful such as war.This also ensures that every country is equally powerful and if at all a war situation arises (I hope it never does)someday,since both the countries have equal resources,the country which is being attacked will be in a position to defend.I hope I have answered your question.
I agree because.Your words are beautiful, but if we return to the subject of health, in your opinion, should health care be free without restrictions?.
You continue to amaze me with questions like these glorious_lake.Definitely not.We will not be able to give free health care services to all at once.To begin with,free health care service should be first given to the people who need it the most and are not able to afford health care services i.e the poor.They should be given preference at first.Then as we improve upon our health care system and budgetary allocation to heath care services we can think of providing free health care service to all.But for the first few years,it should be provided only to the poor who are not able to afford health care services.
I agree with crafty because indeed there is a lot of money spent on defense and other luxurious things whereby this money could be used to improve the healthcare service and make it free so that everyone can afford it.
In my perspective,I think the funds to enable the government to make healthcare free can be generated through the promotion and improvement of other sectors for example the tourism sector whereby if the government improves it through things like building good accomodation facilities and providing easy and good transport to tourists for example buses, promoting it through participation in international sports like athletes and other cultural shows,this would increase the income earned out of the tourism sector since many tourists shall enjoy their stay in the country even invite others and even the fact that people get to know the country internationally for example Uganda at the World Athletics Championship where Joshua Cheptegei retained his men’s world 10,000 meters,the commentators announced his victory and even mentioned his country and they also called it the "the pearl of Africa" and l think this brings more tourists to Uganda in order to see the pearl of Africa.So here the government gets more revenue and can invest more in the healthcare sector.
The other source of income,could be agricultural sector whereby if the government invests in small farmers to make them large scale farmers through agricultural modernization to help increase the exports of the country and in this the country could get more money to keep healthcare free.
Away from that,I think the government can make communication free also forexample removing the paying of airtime and data so that communication can become easily accessible and given that it's an essential factor in the flow of many businesses. Giving Uganda as an example,the government can focus on its newly found oil in the Albertine region so as to get more money to invest in such programmes
I agree with crafty_quince. A lot of money is spent in the defense sector and this all due to the fact that there is a lot of conflict between different countries. Take the case of Russia and Ukraine. The war has driven many people in Ukraine into poverty and because of the high budget on defense, the poor have no free access to healthcare. According to www.shepherdmedia.com, "The Ukrainian government expects GDP to increase in 2023 by as much as 15%, which would result in a total of $230 billion. Therefore, a planned 2023 defense budget of $30 billion would translate into 13% of GDP, as Ukraine continues to try and evict Russian invaders from the country." and according to www.wikipedia.org, "The start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered a major humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: according to the United Nations Development Programme, a prolonged conflict will cause 30% of the Ukrainian population to fall below the poverty line, while a further 62% would be at risk of also falling into poverty." Although, the healthcare in Ukraine the basic healthcare is still free but in other countries, for example developing countries, a war might put a serious strain on the budget required to make healthcare free.
I have a question for you crafty_quince....
Do you think it is also the responsibility of the rich in a country to make sure that poor citizens have free healthcare?
Should the free healthcare exclude the rich? Or should they also be included in the free healthcare plan.
This was a fantastic discussion thread to read through - good to see lots of different view points coming in!
There are some questions I have around how we could practically encourage global disarmament (to support reduced expenditure among other things), but this might be best left to a separate discussion topic. Maybe one to suggest to Topical Talks as a discussion point? As an aside Amazing_Computer, I wonder if the Russian/Ukrainian conflict demonstrates how wasteful traditional military spending can be (e.g. the recent inclusion of cheap drone warfare by Ukraine vs. more expensive Russian conventional weaponry). It's potentially a good argument for nations to reconsider how much they spend on their defence.
Back to the original point, I agree with Crafty_Quince that healthcare and education would be the two to focus on. Building upon Amazing_Computer's question, should free education exclude the rich too? And when we talk about free education or healthcare, are we talking about a basic provision, complete provision, or somewhere in between?
For example in healthcare you could differentiate between emergency (life threatening care), less serious ailments, and elective/voluntary treatment. And in education you could educate up to age 14, 16, 18 or 21 depending on the different learning stages at school or university. Should the poor get complete provision, and should the rich have to pay for even basic provision? And how would you determine the point at which an individual or family is 'rich'?
These are really nice questions to answer.As far as education is concerned,I feel that the basic education upto the age of 14 has to given at free of cost to the poor alone.Because,I feel that this is the basics which is really important for one to survive.After this education can be provided through merit system.Whoever deserves higher education the most can be provided further education at scholarship,whether it is the rich or poor.We cannot opt to get taxes and also not provide any services to the rich. For healthcare,I would prefer to give emergency and less serious ailments for free to the poor and for the rich instead of making every service payable,the government can opt to give a certain percentage as a claim.In different countries the point to define rich people will differ,based on various aspects.I feel that it is the respective country's government which has to make a call on that after taking into consideration various aspects such as the size of the family,income earned by the person,various kinds of assets with the person and their debt and annual expenses.To answer this question,I did a basic survey on this and many answered that a person who earns Rs.20 lakhs [In Rupee] in India can be termed as a rich person.But once again it decides on a number of factors.What if that person is the only income earning member and there are 15-20 members dependent on him.Can he still be called a rich person?I doubt that.So it differs from person to person and I feel that no single point can be fixed to define a person as rich.
If healthcare is provided free, what do you think this might mean for peoples' lifestyle choices? For example, how much incentive would someone have to stop smoking, keep to a healthy weight and not drink too much alcohol?
Definitely providing free health care services will make people irresponsible.For this,the health care department can provide a list of exceptions for providing this free health care service.For instance,regular smokers and drinkers can be excluded from this free health care service.
It would be great if military/defence spending was reduced and redirected to healthcare and education! However, when you say every country should have a certain limit set for on their defence expenditure, how would you enforce this?
1- I totally agree, medicine should be free for every one and should be provided by the central government or by the representative organizations of provinces or districts. Free medicine has really many pros.
For instance, it improves economy. Every amount of money spent in providing healthcare by families to its members can turn into an investment in a few years. Families who have to spend dollars and dollars on healthcare can rather spend it on their kids’ education or set up a business. In this way, it would be a wise step, millions of dollars are spent on something by families with nothing in return.
Also,free healthcare can be a relief for families whose income is not sufficient to pay hospital expenses. With the presence of free medical care, the father or mother will not be afraid if their children fall ill and they are not able to secure medical care for them. And it is the same matter for employees.
2- Yes, there is another public service that should be free, which is education. Nowadays only rich people can put their kids in special and famous universities or schools, Why?.
Education is a human right, all humans should be educated in the best way and quality, we can see lot of genius people living in poor, their parents educates them until highschool but dont enroll them in universities because they cant afford the high costs, and unfortunately this is a great loss of brains . So education is very important to be free.
Do you think health care should be free? If yes, where does the money come to pay for it?
Yes, it's a really great idea. Money makes up. Health is invaluable. It doesn't make up for human health. It's very important. There are lots and lots of poor people around the world who get sick.They don't have money for treatment, for surgery, for the syndrome, or for their children, and they can't buy treatment, so people will die, so I agree with this idea very strongly.If yes, where does this money come to pay for it? The Head of State and Government must take responsibility and pay this money because it is for the benefit of his countrymen and people and he has a duty to do so.Should any other public services be free of charge? If yes, which one? Yes, like food, because poor people can't afford food, there's a lot of famine around the world, and so people die of hunger, and they have kids who need food. I hope this idea really comes true, because it's an amazing idea that will benefit society and people as well.
I agree with my compadre' above .Health care services should be free in order for people to to afford it especially the less priviledge. Government should pay for it with money generated with taxes. some less priviledge people die because the cannot afford health care services
Hello, dear viewers, today in our first meeting about what should be free, we have the first person, Wilson, Hello Wilson. Wilson: Welcome. Do you think healthcare should be free? Wilson: In my opinion, yes, health care should be free, because not all people are in good financial conditions. Where does the money come from to pay for it? Wilson: In my opinion, the global health administration should do this, as well as the hospital administration, and the president of the country he rules should also do this work. Should any other public services be free? And why? Wilson: Yes, educational schools and universities should not educate male and female students with money. Thank you Wilson.
Could you please share some reasons that Wilson might give for their answers?
If healthcare and education is free for everyone, that also means that it is free for the very rich. Should this be a priority for a government? What could be done so that it is free for most people, but that those who can easily contribute, do so?
Thanks for your comment, I liked it. I want to ask a question
When you said that there are services that should be free, you said education
Are there reasons that prompted you to say about education and that your choice of this service to be free is beautiful, but what are the reasons and how can this problem be solved at the present time?!
In my opinion, it is good for health care to be free. A person has the right to obtain the necessary health care when sick, regardless of his financial capabilities. We refugees have the right to obtain medicine and treatment. There are a lot of expensive medicines, and some people cannot buy them even though they are I really need this treatment
I agree because
Since we are refugees, there are very few people whose financial situation is good Most of them suffer from poverty, as a result of which they do not have sufficient funds to obtain treatment The government must assume this responsibility, “All of you are shepherds, and each of you is responsible for his flock.” The government must take stock He relied on this money in its own way and by making use of it in various ways
I agree with you @fun_tennis but have you considered who is footing the bills? It is of course the government that will foot such bills. A country that is not doing well economically cannot afford to foot the bills of many people who are sick. Health care is a necessity and a basic need of life, but you have to consider the country's finances because if the country tries to foot such bills with the unstable economy, it may end up overworking its state coffers and if matters get worse it may run into debt.
I think that if you have broken a bone then you should have to pay the doctors so they hopefully don't go on strike so we don't have doctor shortages and we will then get very very very ill.
Do you think that it should be the responsibility of the government or individuals to pay the doctors more?
I say that it should be free, because there are poor people and people who do not have the cost of treatment, and most of them die because of poor health care. Securing a healthy life for citizens is a duty of the state, not a favor, because it is not fair that most of them die. population due to poor health care, poverty and lack of medicines
You have given the reasons to make healthcare free. But where will the money come to give treatment for patients? This involves huge expenditures
Yes, I agree with you, because in my country there are many families who cannot afford the cost of treatment, or they hardly find their daily sustenance, because the world has many poor and low-income families.
She desperately needs free treatment.
Thank you, yes of course but..
Do you think doctors can donate treatment for free?
To be honest I feel like it should vary it should be free under some conditions, like if the family that needs the help is less equipped with resources than the other then it should be free, but if the family that needs the health care is more equipped then they should be able to pay. Also, I believe that people that have certain illnesses should be able to get free healthcare, illnesses like the flu that reduces the body's ability to fight other sicknesses should be dealt with immediately free or not.
How would we determine who is able to pay and who is not, accurate_wombat?
I agree because the world we live in today is full of deceit and everyone loves free things. A family or a person who is financially stable and able to foot his bills may pose as someone who cannot pay his bills in order to receive free medical services.
I feel that if the government is making healthcare services free, it should be free for all to access and if those services will be paid for, everyone should pay for them. This will also help to show equality and fairness among citizens because it will be unfair if some citizens can get medical services for free and others can't.
Do you think healthcare should be free? A person has the right to obtain treatment and health care, and the state must bear all the costs of treatment, but when we come to developing countries, can they not? They cannot, and they will say, how is she living then??? You want countries to donate to it, and that is up to the leaders, and this is not our topic. Therefore, the issue of access to medicines is an essential component of the full realization of the right to health. Medical care for disease and its prevention, treatment and control depend to a large extent on timely and sufficient access to good quality medicines.
I disagree because... You ignored the issue of developing countries, but I totally object to this, as they are also human beings and have the right to be treated like others in other countries, and they also have the right to treatment and education without paying the fee, because if all medicines were expensive, most would now be dead
Yes, everyone should enjoy free and good health, because many died because of the lack of money to go to the doctor or buy medicine. If you tell me where the money comes from, where is the president to discuss this problem as an example.
There are a lot of wars between countries, so why is there no cooperation? It is possible that all neighboring countries cooperate with crises or difficulties that the country faces, without interfering in the policies, customs and traditions of the country.
In the end, I hope so, because we are facing difficulties and problems with this.
It is normal for there to be free health care in rich countries due to the ability of countries to pay for treatment costs. And the health follow-up of the citizen, but in poor countries, the World Health Organization must have statistics on the costs of treatment required for all poor countries, so that it can ask the competent donor authorities for that. There may be parties that support this, such as UNRWA and UNICEF. But the matter is not limited to treatment and health follow-up, as some countries do not have sufficient food. To meet the needs of the citizen, because food comes before medicine, so he called on rich countries to support this issue effectively through the competent authorities.
@gentle_cat you make a very interesting point about how food comes before medicine, how do you think a country could help fix this?
In my opinion. healthy care should be free to let all the people get the treatment for all the society to equal the rich and poor people,and this decrease the prevalence diseases . and the honor country should support this services especaily for the poor country. and I think Education should be free to let the chance for all people to get it and this simplest rights.
Where should the money come from to pay for these things, glad_concept?
Where should the money come from to pay for these things?
In fact, most people cannot afford health care. When patients who do not have medical insurance get health care, they often cannot pay for it and as a result the cost of this care is covered by other people who pay the health care system. Or patients may avoid Those who do not have medical insurance seek health care when they need it. But medical bills not covered by health insurance can bankrupt the person making the payment.
But there are private health insurance programs (usually paid for by employers), direct patient cash payments, and other methods of payment.
Health care must be free in all cases especially for patients who don't have fixed salaries because health is a crown on the heads of healthy people.
if we have people with a good health we will have great doctors, engineers, teachers and also scientists who can improve the society or the whole country
I was surprised when i read about health care in the United states despite it is advanced technological but it is expensive financially ' it spend 17% from local products for healthcare '
I think there's many sources must support the country for example luxurious restaurants or big companies or nongovernmental institutions and contribute of the health care for people who can't get medical health and i see defense and weapons in the country spend high budgetfrom the country.
Through my following of some people in social media especially in UAE for example i notice that the budget of entertainment places is very high compared with health care places so the government must take this point in it's consideration.
And i think education also must be free because it the main aspect to improve the economy for the country in the future .
I agree with you because here in my country we have lost a lot of individuals due to the high cost for healthcare services. My country the percentage of poor people is very high. The percentage of poor people increses every year over here but the healthcare cost still never seems to reduce. I think that the money could come from the excesses of the national budget and it can also come from the export money gained. My country is flourishing with oil ,they export it and the question that baffles me is "where does the money go to?". We reallly need a change because we have lost too many lives because of how expensive the healthcare is.
Yes, health care should be free. There are many who say that health care costs are expensive, but if the people cooperate with each other, they will be able to make health care free, and the rich must donate an amount of money in hospitals so that we can save the lives of patients who do not have the right to treatment. We eliminate this problem, and also public services must be free because public services are among the rights of the people, and they must obtain them for free. Therefore, officials must provide these public needs for free.
Yes, I believe that health care should be free in order for all groups to benefit from it, and the government provides that care through health centers and government clinics
There must be other free services such as caring for the elderly and providing for their treatment and needs because they need special care
@excited_artist well done for giving your reasoning as to why you think health care should be free. Where do you think the money would come from to pay for this? And how did you decide what other services should be free?
Health is like the stock market and stocks in the markets, I mean that it is changeable and not fixed. Days pass and health is good and diseases are few and can be controlled, and other days are bad and accompanied by a great deterioration (such as during the days of the Corona virus) and we cannot control them, so they require exorbitant costs. So we have to make health care accessible to everyone. Those who can afford to pay, and those who can't pay, don't pay anything. And that is by setting up a fund, for example, so whoever can put the money, and whoever cannot take his treatment and go without embarrassment for him. But the question is... How will the lack of treatment be bridged, or how will the shortage be paid for with money or treatment? I say my opinion here in a group of ideas:
First: The health sector has ensured the provision of a large amount of medicines, and a percentage of them is free. Second: Collecting donations for the health sector from some companies or institutions, whether for treatments or funds. Third: Putting a box for passers-by in the place of health care to donate to patients in need, such as: organ transplantation, dialysis, cancer, heart disease, or any chronic disease. Fourth: Opening clinics in all areas far from hospitals to avoid the spread of diseases and control them before they spread. Fifth: Medical teams pass by homes every once in a while to find out people's cases and try to control the beginnings of the matter before it's too late.
Are there areas other than health that can be free? First of all, I say that whoever cannot pay money, and the standard of living is low, then all fields will be free for him, whether health, education, nutrition, real estate, or anything he needs. Because this is an integration with individuals, the rich must feel his poor brother in order for a unified society to remain free from disability, poverty, or disease.
Hi glorious_lake, thank you for your comment. You have generated some creative ideas, well done. One of the Topical Talk skills is problem solving. Can you use this skill by thinking about the pros and cons of your possible solutions?
When there is a problem, it must be studied from all sides and appropriate solutions should be put in place. It may be positive solutions for some and may be negative for others. As for the issue of health care, it is a positive solution for all people who are unable to pay. On the other hand, it may be negative for other people, such as: health officials, In how and where will the money be saved. There are positive solutions in what I said previously: Where we work together, so that our society remains healthy, in which the number of diseases and deaths decreases, and the treatment of diseased cases with ease.
As for the negatives: it is possible that some people become reckless with the financial commitment despite their ability to pay, or it is possible that health is unable to provide the necessary treatment at some point in time. Or it is possible that some people acquire free treatment in a continuous manner, depriving other people of obtaining it.
Medical care must be free for all so that everyone can access that care without suffering from discrimination in medical services, and the great role falls on states and governments to provide luxury and aspects of encouragement to doctors in terms of wages, equipment, etc. so that the doctor can work in government institutions that are free of service and serve Everyone without exception. Personally, in my area, I provide free medical services in UNRWA and government institutions that go to the poor who cannot buy medicines and treatment, but they are not as good as private medical services. Many doctors open their own clinics, from which they earn a lot of money in exchange for medical examinations for patients. And the patient buys medicine in large sums. It is no secret to you that trust in free medical institutions has become less than that of private clinics due to their weak capabilities and weak government support for them, and many feel that private clinics save time and take care of the patient’s health! Governments must stand up and re-study on restoring confidence in free government institutions!!
Healthcare should be for free in all countries to save lives because our souls are trust from God and we must protect it . Money can be offered from the leaders of the country , but there is something that those money will be taken from people as taxes . Then we’ll not be benefit from this. I think people who have a lot of money should support hospitals and ministries of health under the title of humanity and to save lives . All other ways to get money and support this section will be from people and taxes then no clear solution .
Another section should be always free is that of education. Educated society will always be the winner and will create more inventions to facilitate life . As we can see today many countries that focus on education are very improved and have more space to discover more things .
The question is how could we improve education ? Does the environment in which a person lives affects his development and innovations?
There is no doubt that this issue is the most important issue that we face in our society. In my opinion, health care should be free, because some people do not have the money for treatment, and this affects their health and can lead to their death. It is the right of every person in this universe. Health care and treatment, this is confirmed by the Convention on Human Rights.
There are many other services that should be free, the most important of which is (education).
Education is one of the most important rights of the child that the government must provide free of charge to the children of its country.
Because education these days is very expensive.
For every beginning there is an end, and this will be the end of my comment for today.
Yes I very much agree and say that health care should be made to free to help the people who can't afford the hospital bills and the government can get the money from the fines paid by the law breakers, the bridges and roads for example in Uganda the government gets income from the Entebbe express road since cars pay to use that road, it can also get the money from the donations one or any other nation may give to the country and lastly they can also get money form their parastatals, these are companies and businesses owned by the government.
But Healthcare is not the only service they should make free.Education should also be made free in all countries because the literacy rate in most countries is very high for example Uganda has a literacy rate of 76.53% according to my research and most people don't have enough money to pay for their children school fees.
But atleast the Ugandan government opened several schools to help out these children and they are studying for free.
In my opinion, free treatment is not for all people. When a person enters the hospital, one must investigate if he is rich or poor. If he is poor, he must be treated for free , because he is unable to pay the costs of treatment . And if he is rich he is able to pay the costs of treatment.
Hi beloved_planet, thank you for your comment. Can you give some examples to support your opinion? How might we investigate if someone is rich or poor?
By asking him if he has a job and do you have an account in the bank.
This is such an intresting subject! It might seem like a good idea, but in order to apply it, there really is need for us to change our mindset. If being poor, and maybe not even working at all, brings you free healthcare and working really hard to be rich only brings you some other things to pay for, then why work hard? You would be able to not work, be poor, but still get free healthcare. I think poor people should get some free healthcare, but if they do, then rich people should also get as well. Since healthcare is not cheap, we can try to make it cheaper for everyone, instead of free for some people and expensive for others. Some companyes offer free healthcare for their workers. Wouldn't we also solve the problem of people with no jobs, by companyes offerring more jobs with free healthcare included? Of course, for getting those jobs people should be hard working and not everybody is like that. In my view those who deserve more are the smart, kind and hard working people. Those who are like that will get those jobs.
I'm not sure about this because... I think it's difficult to say who is rich and who is poor. Beloved_planet, I don't think everybody who has a job and a bank account is rich. There are people who work and are paid in a bank account and they still can't buy food or clothes or other basic things. Memorable_cookie, I see what you mean, but for me the right to be treated when you're ill should be a human right. Nobody should be let to die or suffer because they don't have money. I think more of the taxes people pay should go to the health system. I think the state health system should be the best. And maybe we could make big companies pay more for the health system, as a badge of honour, just like they like to show they contribute to environment causes. This could be a way we could improve our health system.
When a person enters a hospital, it may be for emergency treatment. What should the hospital do when there simply isn't time to find out if the patient is rich or poor?
I live in Pakistan. Last year, our government passed the Bill to give treatment of Rs.100000. free. This is very helpful for us. Although the patients of choronic diseases such as Cancer, Brain diseases etc suffers difficult situation for their treatment.
Other public services are not commonly free but are cheap and easy to access.
intelligent_parrot tell me about which other public services you think should be free, or whether cheap and easy to access is enough.
I think that public transport should be free or cheap. Pakistan's government should import buses instead of cars. It may help people and reduce pollution. We can also save our fossil fuel reserves in this way.
Do you think healthcare should be free? If yes, where does the money come from to pay for it? Yes, medical care should be free because it is first and foremost a humanitarian service provided to help all classes of society. It is for the rich and those who can only pay. If it is like this, then it means that the poor do not deserve to live!! is not it?? Governments should bear the medical care expenses in order to make everyone happy without discrimination.
The question is why medicine is called medicine compared to a sign that the profession of humanity is equal to humanity
Have you seen what happened in Gaza and how hundreds of doctors flocked to Gaza to treat the wounded?
Palestinians from all over the world
Medicine is the treatment of the poor and the rich and that all classes must be treated.
Why should health care be free?
To provide equal opportunities for people to the highest possible sanitary standard.
Thanks for your thoughtful response cooperative_dolphin. Tell us about which other public services should be free and if there are any that you think should be paid for.
I agree that "free" health care doesn't exist but
universal healthcare does. The point of it is not that healthcare is a human right, but that in order for all people rich and poor to have a high standard of living universal health care could be offered. People who make billions of dollars a year could afford to pay a few million more in taxes so that the genuinely disadvantaged can receive quality health care. In the 50s and 60s income tax was so high that no one could make over 2million a year. (that's adjusted for inflation) Taxation may be forced but it's important for a functional society. It's how we got to the moon.
Free healthcare is a concept that many countries are chasing to achieve in the last few decades by using different ways to fund money and provide health services. A great example of that is sweden were its healthcare system is distinguished. About 600000 swedens have a private health plan which is covered by there bosses and employers . I think that such conceps should be done worldwide and healthcare should be free. But if healthcare was to be "totally free" I think there is enough good in the world for it to be already done. That isn't quite possible, whats possible though is providing free healthcare to people who aren't capable of affording it . I think the money for such services should come from charging taxes that vary according to people's wealth and economical state , so basically the richer a person is, the more he is charged. And all the funded money gets used to pay the expenses for providing free healthcare for people in need.
Universal health care is intended for people who CAN'T pay for their free health care. If everybody could offord it, we obviously wouldn't need such a system. The costs of the health care of individuals isn't linked to their choices.
In my opinion, the government should pay for basic health care. If you want better service, you can extra pay for it. Just abolish a lot of the way too big and useless bureaucracy of western countries and instead focus on what really matters for its citizens.
Do you think it is fair that only those that can afford a 'better' service have access to it calm_deer?
I disagree because... There is no preference for health, for it is a precious treasure. If it is gone, life in its meaning is gone. There must be justice between the rich and the poor, and there should be no discrimination. Everyone must receive the best medicines in order to be an individual of achievement and importance in society, and what do you know about what This poor person who does not want to be given medicine can become a savior for society in the future and a person with great knowledge who will benefit the world
It is not free, that's what's wrong :) It is paid by taxpayers not directly. It all costs work, effort and time. Healthcare staff does not work for free, do they? Someone says, alright the government pays for this or that. You pay for it, the government is just a manager you fund to make those matters more convenient :) It is like in a corporation, you may own 51% but you still hire people to manage
everything for you. In general, the longer route it takes to get a product or a service to a client or recipient the more expensive it gets.
Idid not understand a specific point... If the government has to confiscate to secure "free" health care why isn't the profit portion of what an insurance company charges another instance of confiscation?
Some healthcare should be free. For example, medicine should be free for people that are very poor. Rich people should still pay for medicine though, because pharmacies and hospitals should still have a way of making money. Travelling by bus should also be free because most people have to go to school or work and not everyone lives very close to their schools or work places. There should be tablets that people borrow for some time and then they should return the tablets or phones. This could be useful because some people have to make a phone call, but they don't have one or some kids have online homework they need a phone for. Do you believe these things should be free or that everyone has to pay for them? I think it is important that we share the things that people need who can't get them for themselves, we should all learn to share.
Thanks for this comment fun_rainforest. What arguments would you use to convince people to share more?
When you go to the doctor, you no longer have to pay money. There are the sick people on the street who no one helps because of money, because they are poor. When you go to the doctor, it should be free, but some doctors only think about money. It doesn't seem fair to me to let people die in the hospital.
Health will never be bought with money.
You say that "health will never be bought with money". If you know that a specific medicine will make you better, is it possible that "health will be bought" by buying the medicine?
I personally think that healthcare should be free as "Compelling_Hurricane" said people die everyday because they don't have the money. If healthcare was free where would the money come from? First of all money can come from fundraising. Maybe since it would be free people will be more willing to donate. And also the money for the quality of the hospitals, and doctors salary should come from taxes. I don't know much about it but my teacher us comes from Scotland and they have the nhs there and although I know this isn't perfect it sounds very good for the people who use these services. But I did hear people have to wait a long time for appointments so maybe when you make things free it makes the demand bigger and I think this is what the problem can be. I also think they could pay for some of their medicines because this is very expensive and giving it for free costs a lot of Money that could be saved if people buy their own cheaper medicines like paracetamol .
I agree with you bright_wallaby that people die everyday due to lack of funds to access medical care and through various means such as fundraising and donation, we can make healthcare free but I have a question do you think the free healthcare plan should only apply to the poor?
I also feel like food should be free in countries. I feel like there should be a program that makes either breakfast, Lunch or dinner free so that hungry and homeless people will have food to eat. People who do not have food to eat will be able to walk into any eatery and get something to eat at least once a day. This will help to reduce world hunger in many countries.
I think that the healthcare should be free because the equipament that the doctors use are very expensive so the poor people don’t afford it. I think that the money should come from the taxes that people pay because we would have enough money if the leaders wouldn’t spend the money on statues or fountains, like in my country ,Romania.
The police service, the firefighters and the school system are already free and they should continue be free because people need them a lot.
I think water should be free. Drinking water is a human need. We can not live without water, so why do we need to pay for it? In some parks, there are artificial springs. People can drink water from them, but that artificial springs are not the cleanest. I am not sure but I think heating should also be free. At least the persons who strugle with their financial situations should get some free heating. If they don t, then they might also get sick. If they don t have money for heating, they don t have money for medical helthcare either. Medical helthcare should also be free, as peoples lives realy matter a lot. We are already paing for healthcare through our taxes
I feel for this topic it is too simple to say that healthcare should be free because in my opinion nothing in this life can be free. To give an example I will say it like this if you have a business then you need to pay money so that you can keep the business running but that is not all because if you do not pay the workers also then the business will not work. It makes sense to me that we should pay some of these moneys to the healthcare business because then we can use that money to pay the staff who work very hard for us and that is why the adults pay taxes. But I do believe that the goverment also needs to be responsible for helping the people who are not rich so they can also find ways to have healthcare too. What about if the goverment pays for the surgeries and treatments for those who really need this and we pay for the medical receipt for our medicines? Or maybe we can have a subscription so the people wtih not as much money can pay with installments.
Hi diplomatic_idea,
Your username suits your comment - you have dealt with the topic very diplomatically in taking a sensitive and tactful solution-oriented approach which identifies that:
(a) not everyone is able to pay full healthcare fees upfront; and
(b) not paying healthcare fees at all would cause business risk to healthcare providers.
I especially like your idea of a subscription service so that people can pay back their healthcare in installments!
Can you think of any other ways in which we could strike a balance between ensuring people with less resources have access to healthcare whilst also ensuring that the healthcare industry and providers are being adequately funded and remunerated for their service? For example, what about insurance?
I believe that the basics of life, such as housing, food and medicine, should be free. A person should live in a warm place that shelters him from the cold and dangers. Instead, they should receive free health care. For example, in Lebanon we suffer from the problems of lack of medicines, and if they are found, they are monopolized as if they will be sold at auction. This is Which made it worse for some peoplePeople with serious diseases such as cancer patients, and above all, we cannot treat thousands of people daily who suffer from a lack of food, but rather their number is increasing, and this is what makes us think of putting some food items for free first to help others and secondly to reduce the epidemics that may occur.
Do not forget education, as it is the weapon of every person in society, especially for women
As for the rest of the things, it does not matter if they are free, because a decent life has become present, and here it must be. Individuals must work to provide them, so they do not have to worry about sleeping hungry, sick, or in the rain.
Dozens of poor people die every day, either from mild illnesses, hunger, or because of the cold, and this is what made me think of what I presented earlier.
Concerning where we should get the money from, I am thinking of increasing the fees for the rich and reducing them for the poor, through which others can be helped, instead of establishing charities concerned with providing these needsAnd let's not forget the United Nations, which helps many countries today
Those are insightful thoughts, aware_leaves -- but what do you think the reaction of the rich would be to this "progressive taxation" (or "wealth redistribution") you propose?
In the beginning, some will refuse, who think that this money has been collected by their work, and some will respond, who still live inside humanity, and this may help a little.
Regarding the first category, I hope that with time they will understand the meaning of humanity. In some countries, projects have been set up in which the rich participate for some days, where they are taken to a poor place and they have to live there and adapt.
In some countries, taxes are taken from the rich in a larger amount than the poor. They have money and do not suffer. All of this is a plan by the state to improve the financial conditions of some.
Ya health care should be provided free because the poor can't able to get the treatment at right time.If it not possible a medical bill should be little reduced. Usually a medical bill contains Bed charge etc. Aleast Bed charge should be avoided. Pay later option should be followed in the hospital. Medicine tax should avoided or reduced. In our country the local buses are free for women and also free for students , both college and school students. And in our country government hospitals are free for everyone .
I believe that health care should be free and available to everyone because excessive health care is a matter of life and death and there are many, many losing their lives due to the increase in the cost of medicines to buy. For example, a person with a kidney disease needs medicines that are not limited to, and this person is financially and economically poor, and he cannot buy what the doctor requires of medicines for him, so this person dies of grief and pain. And they measured and balanced this on the rest of the sick people. This is what is happening in our region where we live and it spreads on a large scale and I used to see everything with my own eyes and see who died because of poverty and the lack of medicines, but what can I do if I can do something to help them with the blink of lightning.
I also demand the provision of medicines and their availability within the reach of everyone, because the issue is an issue of death and life. This concerns us and concerns us a lot.
(I don't like to lose someone dear to me, and I don't like someone to lose someone dear to them.)
It won't be necessary to use funds from an where else. I mean we have so many other ways to get the money such as tourism and export. We should not also ignore that some corrupt individuals in authority embezzle and mismanage fund trusted to them. Millions could have been used to save a lot of lives that could have never been lost. Why then should we not consider those precious people just because we are not affected by their suffering?
Free healthcare should be prioritized only for people with chronic diseases as we all know critical patients need to get thet treatment as soon as possible if healthcare is free for everyone the priority might change and patients with chronic diseases have to wait in the queue
even so might need to consider the idea that everyone deserves equal
rights towards healthcare
free healthcare would bring a great impact towards the medical industry and society in conclusion having a good health is everybody's staying healthy allows people to live a hence it is important for a person to take care of their health with the best healthcare provided by the government. health is vital for many therefore free healthcare should be structured well for the benefits of all and for the society's advancement now we know that the increase of better health among individuals leads to a more productive nation.
Depends. If you care for millions of your fellow Lebanese suffering from avoidable diseases who cannot afford treatment, then yes. If you only care for you and your money, most likely still yes, but less obvious.With public insurance as a single payer the market power switches from provider to the single payer which can substantially lower costs by negotiating prices. And it will because it’s in its own interest. So unless you are really rich, and most Lebanese are not, you will pay less and your expenses will still be covered. The only ones on the losing side will be health care providers, insurance and pharmaceutical companies and their associated politicians who have to let go of some of their profits and the really rich who have to pay more for their health care because of the solidarity based funding. All the rest will be covered at lower costs.
Therefore the people who would have to pay more invest billions of dollars into propaganda against universal health care so that the rest opposes it against their own interest.
I think they should make the healthcare free because i see alot of people who are dying just because they cant afford healthcare which makes me very sad so from my point of view i think the goverment should pay for the healthcare as their job is to protect people and to help them.Health is a basic need and right.I think other public services should be free also because alot of people cant afford to public transport and i dont want to see people travelling on foot.
Do you think healthcare should be free? If yes, where should the money come from to pay for it?
Yes, I believe that health care should be free, especially in our country, because the economy of our country is weak, and there are people who do not have the money to treat themselves from serious diseases, and the diseases that afflict them require exorbitant funds to treat them. Or through aid from countries that have a high economy and excellent financial condition.
Should any other public services be free? If yes, which? If no, why not?
Yes, there should be other free things such as food, because many countries suffer from famines from lack of food, and that must be helped in order to maintain their health and not get sick from diseases due to lack of food...
I believe that health care should be free because not everyone is able to bear the cost. Perhaps the state should achieve the necessary amount by opening drug factories within it. This will reduce the cost of treatment. Also, an international fund should be established for donors from countries to spend on those who need treatment and others. Able to pay the cost, and from my point of view, there should be some other public services free, such as education
Obviously, at the same time there should be an option to opt out and pay any cash.
A high-risk strategy because although rare diseases are rare, there are so many of them...and to treat most people you wouldn't be able to realistically pay.
This is an interesting point, would you have the option to opt out and pay cash based on any thresholds for example, salary, or would you base this on the disease treatment cost? How do you think the opt out option would impact the society?
Just a suggestion to cover the topic of people who is terminally ill and can't work ...
In Gaza called 'Zakat'wkere once a year people vounterily donate money to a cetralised collector to be used to assist people with bad medical condition such needing dialysis to survive,or give startup capital to people who is in poverty or heavily in debt . It worked really well here and had help alot of people. I am sure that there is alot of good people in this world that is willing to donate money to unburden the people in need. There is no need for the government to collect nore texes just for healthcare.
Thank you for your comment @successful_horse. What if the money that people willingly donate is still not enough to cover medical needs for everyone who needs it?
My recommendation would be to build more doctors/nurses. The more you build,the more competition there will be. This will drive the prices down without switching from one payer model to another.
Making healthcare completely free for everyone will not fix the root cause of the problem. Our country needs more high level development if it wants to keep the high quality care and high productivity.
I agree that health centers should free but some countries can not afford it . Now I am not only Pakistani, I am afghani, I am Somalian ,I am Malavian,I am Nepali . These countries are facing poverty. We should take money from someone who can afford, although this facility should be free for poors . We should take tax from rich and medium class people which can afford and spend it on poors.
Other public services should also have same policy e.g public transport and education.
I think that lack of health care is a waste of human capital because it is important to have Universal Health Care coverage is about all people having access to the care they need without financial hardship. Service coverage varies widely across countries but no in all country because government refuses to fund the health care budget but mainly focus on there military power and politics It is also key to meeting the Bank Group because these cannot be realized as long as millions are being impoverished by health expenses every year. When a country have a large number of people living in a geographical region the daily suffering of individuals and families faces a lot of problem when they can’t get the health care they need like immunization of infant which will lead to the death of children . The only way we they can bring health care to everyone in the world is by them changing the system so that Government and people can demand for more investementin health , because that is the only way to bring free health care for every body in the world.
Health care should be affordable for all citizens of a country . 10%-20% should be paid by citizens and the rest should come from the taxes people pay in the country. People should be taxed based on job description , meaning people who have more money should pay more taxes than the ones managing to live , some cannot even eat 3 square meals. I think that the taxes should be fear to the less privilege .
I'm not sure about this because have you stopped to consider those citizens who do not have Jobs and do not pay taxes. Does that mean that those citizens who fall in that category will not be able to receive medical treatment? I feel that the government should create a system that works for everyone irrespective of job status so that everyone can be treated fairly, and everyone can access medical services.
Some people think that people who earn more money should pay more in tax in order to fund medical treatment for those who earn less money, and thus pay less tax. Do you think it is fair for higher earners to pay more to make up for the shortfall for lower earners, in order to make everyone equal?
Yes I think higher earner should pay more taxes. I just think taxes should be charged based on what you earn.
Well, the higher earners should actually be charged according to how they earn to supplement the low-income earners because they either do not have a source of income or they are low- income earners so it won't be bad for the rich to be taxed higher than the poor. The country should adopt a PAYE system which means
P- pay
A- As
Y- You
E- Earn
So you thing low earners should pay the same thing with higher earners.
Great points here @triumphant_mango! Do you think there are other public services that should be free?
Education .
To a point education should be free or at least it should be cheap ,places like Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden have free education . The more educated people in a country the more developed a country is because there will be people to solve the problems affecting the country.
Absolutely! Public services like education should be made free for young children because they are the future of any nation and not many of them have the opportunities to attend a formal school.
Even if the private sector does not want to adopt this method, the government should take it into consideration and build more schools with a conducive environment for learning and make it free and open to all.
This strategy has very positive effects on a nation. It gives the nation a higher stand in the global community and gives them recognition. It also boosts the innovation of its citizens, and this will help boost the economy of that country. Countries like Singapore and North Korea that have almost a hundred percent literacy achieved that milestone by making their primary education free for all. This is an added advantage for any country that keys into this strategy.
Free health care for citizen would require the government to allocate large amount of funds for health sector which lead to unproportionate funds towards other sectors.
The high cost of implementation will result in the government to increase taxes in order to maintain a free healthcare system nonetheless the funds used in the sector contributes towards the increase of economy productivity, this is because the economic productivity of a country would further expand when there is an increase in people’s health from the free healthcare provided.
I believe that healthcare should be provided for free because it will benefit a large number of people, including pregnant women and people suffering from ailments such as diabetes, asthma, and others. We have heard of cases where people are unable to pay their hospital bills, and their inability to pay can lead to their detention in a hospital for weeks or even months, without continued care, food, or even a bed.
On the other hand, free healthcare may strain some countries' economies, and healthcare services may be inadequate, in which case free healthcare may force some aspects of the economy to be compromised.
If the wealthy band together and donate a portion of their wealth, it can go a long way toward making healthcare free.
Education should be made free; many children are out of school; we see them roaming the streets, sometimes selling wares on the street; some are also forced to serve as houseboys and girls at such young ages; if education is made free for all, these children will be able to access education, and society will benefit in the long run because it will reduce the negative effects often associated with out-of-school children.
Great points secure_nature. I like how you consider both sides.
Yes, healthcare should be free because many families struggle to pay for healthcare, which puts a strain on their family's lifestyle and emotional state. When people become ill, they become concerned about their ability to pay their bills. Many people in developing countries stay at home when they are ill rather than go to the hospital to see a doctor because they cannot afford the hospital bills. Families and society will be much happier when healthcare delivery is free, as well-functioning healthcare is a precondition for a well-functioning economy. Unemployed people, the elderly, and children will be better cared for.
I believe the funds can be obtained from the industrial sector; having more businesses in the local economy can increase tax revenue for local governments while also raising people's standard of living.
Another public service that I believe should be provided for free is the courts, as many people are imprisoned because they cannot afford the services of a lawyer, or they must spend a significant amount of time away from their homes before they can afford the services of a lawyer. This reduces society's labour power in some ways.
Yes, I believe that healthcare should be free because giving citizens the right to free healthcare benefits economic productivity. Access to free healthcare increases citizens' chances of living healthier lives, missing fewer days of work, and contributing more to economic growth.
The funds can be obtained from the agricultural sector, as agricultural development is one of the most effective tools for ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and feeding people.
Yes, I believe education should be free, as one of the reasons most countries lack skilled workers is that people are not adequately educated in most cases. We must educate our children thoroughly because they are our future. Some parents are unable to pay the high tuition fees for their children's education, and if they are not properly educated, their children's future will suffer.
I feel that healthcare should be free because there are some emergency cases where people die due to lack of financial stability, and this portrays a bad picture about such a country. I also feel that the money should come from the taxes we pay. In a lot of countries, they pay tax that is not equivalent to what the government does to improve their country. I feel that the excess that is left could be used to fund the health sector as this would save a lot of lives.
The money could also come from the export money of a country. Country's that are flourishing with natural resources could use their export money to fund the health sector.
Should healthcare be free?
Yes, I think that health care should should should be free. If healthcare is not free, how would the sick but poor family or person recover by themselves? Ok, we can comformize it in some small health problems but if the case is very serious? If that family or person suffered from serious diseases, illness or viruses such as covid-19? If that person or family suffered from malnutritions? How would that poor family pay the long bill of the hospital? How would they afford a good healthcare service? Their life would remain as a puppet. In some serious cases, the family might even lose a member of their family. Why? JUST BECAUSE HEALTHCARE IS NOT FREE!!
Not only health care, but education should also be free along with food and water. Many people died. What might be the cause? BECAUSE FOOD AND WATER IS NOT FREE. Many people remained un educated and couldn’t do anything in their life. Why JUST BECAUSE EDUCATION I NOT FREE and THE COST OF EDUCATION IS VERY HIGH!!
So, along with healthcare, education, food and water should also be free.
Should all food be free? Or just basic food? If all food is free, wouldn't people be tempted to overeat, or eat the most expensive types of food?
Who pays for the healthcare, education, food and water?
~ FIRST OF ALL, thankyou for your question.
I think that just the basic foods/education/healthcare/education or other basic requirement only should be free. Only basic food items being free can keep people alive. And this will also prevent the overeat. And later when then there is no overeat, it will result as many food are left which can still be eaten. This will the hungry stomachs to be full. Also the government takes taxes. The government can separate a small amount of tax to pay for the basic needs.
What I think should be free is medication, many people are dying because of the diseases and viruses. Such as Corona, Monkeypox, cancer, breast cancer, and much more. Medication is needed dearly, especially for elders and younger children. They have a higher risk of catching something deadly. This is why medication should be free.
Hi hopeful_trumpet,
I understand your point, that medication for certain illnesses is essential and should therefore be free. What do you think about surgeries and vaccinations, rather than treatment medications? Should they also be free?
If you do not think so, then I am curious to hear why? However, if you think that all healthcare should be made freely available then I would like to hear your suggestions on how we could continue financing the hospitals and pharmacies?
-Healthcare should 100% be free. The money for healthcare should be taken away from funding the already, incredibly wealthy rich and greedy politicians and billionaires who avoid taxes and live in wealth. So many funds that could be used to save lives are not going to good use at all.
-There are a lot of other public services that should be free. For instance, higher education. People say that to achieve these free things taxes will have to be raised but that shouldn't be necessary. A lot of countries have free higher education. Pointing to america specifically, I believe that there was a plan that would benefit people's college education, but it is being cancelled. Why would the plan have been brought up if there wasn't room for it? This is a prime example.
You have raised some interesting points here. Where do you think the funds that could be used to save lives are going to? What would you cut back spending on in order to fund the free healthcare for all?
In addition, why do you think higher education should be free? I'm intrigued to know
Hello, thank you for the reply!
- I believe that the funds that could be put into saving lives are instead being used to fund campaigns and companies that bring more harm than good. These companies/manufacturing companies pump out a lot of the brands we like, so that's probably why they have so much money going into them. I would cut back on said companies. Maybe not to completely eradicate them, but find better methods for them.
-I think higher education, such as college, should be free or at least less expensive because a big reason why a lot of people don't go to college is because they can't afford it and don't want to be in debt for the rest of their lives. This makes it really hard for people because not everyone is lucky enough to get a job that doesn't require a college diploma. No job, no opportunities to make money to fund all the costs of life. It's a contradicting system.
Can you give an example of the companies that are funded and that bring "more harm than good"?
If some of the money for free healthcare is going to come from "greedy politicians", who is going to change the law? How could politicians be encouraged to do this?
It would be wonderful if education and healthcare were free, as you comment.
How would you suggest ensuring the incredibly wealthy do pay taxes, and not avoid them? I feel this is one of the biggest barriers.
There's also the concern of overeducation - if everyone has a degree, then it doesn't give any individual an advantage. What if further education was free, but more difficult - or you only had to pay if you failed?
I see that the healthcare should be for free because many poor people don't have enough money to protect their selfs so it's a must that poor people have to be protected from the county they live in not only the poor people but all of the community levels and if this country doesn't have enough money to protect those people so it can borrow money from the international monetary fund which is located in the United States of America and after this country have the enough money they can pay of their debts.
I think that Healthcare should be free to make it affordable for all the people living in the world. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. The majority of world population is economically weak, so free healthcare must be provided. Not only do they deserve healthcare regardless of economic status, they also help the economy status to improve if they are healthy and able to work. A country with free healthcare can become a developed nation in the world. Free medical services will improve the health of the people, who can then contribute more to the economy. It will become best investment in human resources, and hence will have a positive, profitable result. Instead of spending money in defense we can invest money in free healthcare which would be a best thing for people living in the country because of poor economic condition the people cannot afford to pay for the medical services to improve their health. So that it would be more helpful when each and every country invest or spend their money in healthcare will make the people living in the country to get better medical care or services.
Thanks @artistic_recipe for your well-considered response! You're right that governments could cut costs in other areas of spending to provide free healthcare as the benefits will outweigh the costs. What other services do you think should also be free?
Education should be free for children because in many country people cannot afford to basic education so the government can also implement scheme for the children to get free education it would be more helpful and the children who are getting free education would make help and good return to the society in an effective way.
artistic_recipe do you think there should be any fee-paying education? Or do you think all education should be free?
All education should be free for people who are not able to get .In many countries so many children are unable to get education because poverty plays a vital so that we can give free education for people who are unable to afford.
I agree because the country has to cut costs so everyone can enjoy health care.
also Education is an integral part of life, and it has a positive impact on human life, helping to build the personality and shaping the future. It is through education that knowledge is gained and It sets the stage for the real world.. By education you can be a doctor or an engineer or an accountant, and when you become a doctor you will be able to provide the care and treatment that patients need. And health care will be available and accessible to everyone because there are doctors in our lives. Therefore, education should be free.
I think that health care should be free, but the question is how to get the money?? We can get money from the expenses that the government spends on protecting the environment, such as climate change, which is being spent on tremendously, and all ministries provide financial support to local authorities to write plans to address the climate crisis, but the question is how can we get rid of the climate crisis by providing energy at home Much of our electricity and heat is produced from coal, oil, and gas. Energy use should be reduced by reducing heating and cooling, using dual lights and energy-efficient electrical appliances, washing clothes in cold water, or hanging clothes to dry instead of using a dryer. Why do we not use this money and save it for health care, as well as the large military spending on the army, because of the incompatibility of countries, enmity becomes between countries, which leads to wars and conflicts, so why do we not use this money to provide health care and it becomes free? Many people cannot afford hospital expenses, and 70% of people The poor cannot pay health care expenses, so the government must not spend huge sums of money on things that can be resolved before, such as conflicts between countries, and we must also help the government, by donating and helping the poor
I think that Healthcare should be free to make it affordable for all the people living in the world. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. The majority of world population is economically weak, so free healthcare must be provided. Not only do they deserve healthcare regardless of economic status, they also help the economy status to improve if they are healthy and able to work. A country with free healthcare can become a developed nation in the world. Free medical services will improve the health of the people, who can then contribute more to the economy. It will become best investment in human resources, and hence will have a positive, profitable result. Instead of spending money in defense we can invest money in free healthcare which would be a best thing for people living in the country because of poor economic condition the people cannot afford to pay for the medical services to improve their health. So that it would be more helpful when each and every country invest or spend their money in healthcare will make the people living in the country to get better medical care or services.
I think yes, healthcare should be free because many families struggle to pay for healthcare, which puts a strain on their family's lifestyle and emotional state. When people become ill, they become concerned about their ability to pay their bills. Many people in developing countries stay at home when they are ill rather than go to the hospital to see a doctor because they cannot afford the hospital bills. Families and society will be much happier when healthcare delivery is free, as well-functioning healthcare is a precondition for a well-functioning economy. Unemployed people, the elderly, and children will be better cared for.
I believe the funds can be obtained from the industrial sector; having more businesses in the local economy can increase tax revenue for local governments while also raising people's standard of living.
Another public service that I believe should be provided for free is the courts, as many people are imprisoned because they cannot afford the services of a lawyer, or they must spend a significant amount of time away from their homes before they can afford the services of a lawyer. This reduces society's labour power in some ways.
Health care must be free in all cases especially for patients who don't have fixed salaries because health is a crown on the heads of healthy people.
if we have people with a good health we will have great doctors, engineers, teachers and also scientists who can improve the society or the whole country
I was surprised when i read about health care in the United states despite it is advanced technological but it is expensive financially ' it spend 17% from local products for healthcare '
I think there's many sources must support the country for example luxurious restaurants or big companies or nongovernmental institutions and contribute of the health care for people who can't get medical health and i see defense and weapons in the country spend high budgetfrom the country.
Through my following of some people in social media especially in UAE for example i notice that the budget of entertainment places is very high compared with health care places so the government must take this point in it's consideration.
And i think education also must be free because it the main aspect to improve the economy for the country in the future .
phenomenal_lion you have shared some interesting examples of how countries choose to spend their budgets. What is some of the criteria you would use to prioritise budget expenditure in your country?
I personally think that healthcare should be free as "Compelling_Hurricane" said people die everyday because they don't have the money. If healthcare was free where would the money come from? First of all money can come from fundraising. Maybe since it would be free people will be more willing to donate. And also the money for the quality of the hospitals, and doctors salary should come from taxes. I don't know much about it but my teacher us comes from Scotland and they have the nhs there and although I know this isn't perfect it sounds very good for the people who use these services. But I did hear people have to wait a long time for appointments so maybe when you make things free it makes the demand bigger and I think this is what the problem can be. I also think they could pay for some of their medicines because this is very expensive and giving it for free costs a lot of Money that could be saved if people buy their own cheaper medicines like paracetamol .
If education is not free then how will people who cannot afford school or cannot afford to keep their child in school, how will the economy grow and the country go up in the money world
After reading a few comments i agree with the majority as i believe that people who have been put in unfortunate conditions, such as the homeless, they don't have the money to pay for healthcare
Interesting point courageous_strawberry? Do you think healthcare should be free for everyone, whether they can afford it or not? Or only those who may not be able to afford it?
Do you think heath care should be free? I agree, medicine should be free for everyone and should be provided by the central government. Free medicine has really many pros. For example, it improves the economy. Every amount of money spent in providing healthcare by families to its members can turn into an investment in a few years. Families who have to spend money on healthcare can rather spend it on their kids’ education food, clothes and other essentials. In this way, it would be a wise step, millions of dollars are spent on something by families with nothing in return. Also,free healthcare can be a relief for families whose income is not sufficient to pay hospital expenses. With the presence of free medical care, the father or mother will not be afraid if their children fall ill and they are not able to secure medical care for them.
Should public services be free? There are many other services that should be free, the most important like education. Education is one of the most important rights of the child that the government must provide free of charge to the children of its country because education these days is very expensive.
splendid_elderberry you have highlighted some very personal benefits of government funded healthcare. If healthcare and public services are afforded to the masses what would you think about the management of the quality of these services. For example, somebody on private healthcare may be treated than on the NHS or in private education, may receive more hours with a teacher compared to a larger public school.
theres no sush thing as free healthcare every things regarding healthcare costs some thing along with every thing else
I guess education shouldn't be free as well because, well its my education, you don't care about my education.
The issue that I see here is that people are worried about having ahigher tax due to gov't funded healthcare being added. unless that actually happens no one should be opposed to it
Why do you think no one should be opposed to it aware_idea?
I'm not sure about this because...
health is very important, that's why we need health care
Should healthcare be free?
Healthcare should be free especially those in desperate times and bad conditions, for example, Accident and Emergency should be free because the person treated is about to lose the life. Because if healthcare was expensive then people wouldn't be able to get the treatment they need. Especially for coronavirus, in China even though the pandemic is spreading there, they have free healthcare which allows people to be cured rapidly with life changing medicines. Because if China's healthcare was expensive then pretty much, half of its country's population would go extinct and China is practically a quarter of the whole world. People are dying and doctors need to do something about it, especially in the US because they have healthcare that is not free so from time to time people are dying.
I think access to healthcare should be a human right, so yes, it should be free. Free means that nobody pays on the spot when they go to the hospital. We pay for that thru our taxes.
Another service that I think should be free is education. This could be explained from a selfish point of view: we share a society so who would be happy to live among uneducated people? We all want to live in a civilised way, so education is the base for that.
Also, we have been trying to make the world a better place for everybody, including for women. Since it's mostly women that take care of children, we should help them when the children are very young, so they can take care of the children but also do some work. So nurseries should be free. This would also help women decide to have children, as we know that in some countries the population is getting older and older. So it would benefit everybody.
I agree with you remarkable_peach that education should be free so that everyone can be educated and hence live in a civilized way. This will make the world a better place as everyone would be well-equipped with the knowledge needed to live well.
But there is another point of view. This point of view came out as a result in a discussion with some of my friends about what should be free and what shouldn't. Making education free can cause it lose value in the eyes of people. Education will become undervalued and looked down upon. It will no longer carry the value it once did so education should not be free but instead, it should be made affordable for everyone. This will help more people to be able to go to school but at the same time, it will preserve the value of education. What do you think about this point of view remarkable_peach?
No, I do not believe healthcare should be free because when the service is free, its quality decreases and can still lead to death. However, if healthcare is not free, the quality of service tends to increase depending on the amount paid. Poverty is another critical issue that must be addressed; the majority of global problems are caused by poverty.
I also believe that no public service should be provided for free because funding the service may result in poor service quality. For example, if emergency services are provided for free, a lack of funds will make the job stressful, and personnel who are not sufficiently encouraged will become emotionally drained.
I swear that healthcare must be free because there are three categories of peoples in the society Rich middle-class and poor .So lets come into the point of view from rich ..They are having money so if they are affected by cancer ,Malaria ,Dengue they can cure it by affording money to the doctors .The Middle-class people if they are affected they will be getting loans and funds from everyone and people don't obey them ..so they suffer alot. And finally the poor if they are affected they will definitely die there are hospitals but not money to do operation to cure the diseases. So from this we come to know the lack of equality in the society .So I conclude with there must be free health care for everyone. Free education is alo important because todays citizens are the foundation of our country So every child to get free and compulsory education .
Yes, because in the UK, we have tons of people visiting hospitals everyday so not needing to pay is a huge benefit.
On the other hand, here in the UK, there is currently a nurse strike so paying for medical care may happen one day here. I think that food should be free because all the homeless and not as rich people struggle to get food so by making it free, lots of lives will be better. But what do you think?
In the UK why do you think that the taxes paid to support the NHS isn't working?
Because people already pay alot of taxes so paying just to have better health is more of a nonsence.
Intuitive_drum, thank you for your comment. Yes, there is due to be a nurse's strike soon in the UK. The cause is primarily about nurses not getting paid enough. This may not lead directly to people paying for medical care (which is free), but a pay increase would increase government costs.
On food being free, would this apply to all kinds of food, and to all people (no matter how rich or poor you are)? Who would pay for the food? (the UK government has large debts already).
I think that healthcare should be free, as some people may be terminally or seriously ill, and might not have the money to pay for healthcare. This means that they might not get the care they need and could die.
Other public services, like education, should be free. If someone, for example, wanted to get a degree in medicine but did not have the money to achieve their dreams, or was left in debt trying to pay for university, might not have the motivation to try other subjects. In some countries, it costs money to send children to school, and some children may end up illiterate.
Hi Neat_Octopus - it would be good if we could help all people who are seriously ill. Some people would argue that treatment can be expensive and may not help all people who are given that treatment. Do you think all healthcare treatments should be free or should there be some which are not free?
Your mental health and health in general is super important and thousands and millions of people need somewhat kind of help. Because of the amount of people coming in and paying probably £20+ just for medication. I understand medicine is so so so important which is why the price should go down! Your health is a lot more important than money so they should definitely lower the prices. What would happen if someone has really bad health at that time but they didn’t have enough for the medication? Some medication can be way out of somebody’s price range. Not only is this in hospitals, it’s happening in vets, some shops etc…
Hi Ingenious_Date - a lot of people would agree with you that it's important for everyone to be able to access free healthcare. Can you think of a reason why someone may disagree with you?
I think health care shouldn’t be free but should be affordable around the world.because if it was free how could the doctors and nurses get payed and how could the hospital or doctors office expand for more medical conditions around the world. Do you want nurse’s and doctors to get payed equally?
Interesting idea excited_keyboard. How would you decide what counts as 'affordable' pricing for healthcare? Would it be the same price for everyone or would the price of treatment differ depending on the person's income?
Healthcare should be free because as I said many people lose they live due to not having enough money . It’s not really our fault when we get ill and need hospital or medicine care .
I do understand making healthcare free is not that easy . First of all for poor countries there government might not have enough to pay for hospital needs , that’s why they make people pay for it themselves. I also really do think that buses and trains should be free cause there is many people that can’t drive or aren’t able to drive due to problems they have . Also making buses and trains free will draw peoples attention to noticing it’s free and will help more people use buses and trains as there transport instead of taking there car which would help the environment a lot .
I agree transportation is important, its how we move around in life and many people cannot afford it.
From my point of view, I see that health care should really be free, but not for everyone, despite all the positive effects of providing free health care, in contrast, it has negative effects that stand in the way of its implementation and could lead to the destruction of the state, if the decision is taken to make care Health care is free. It must take into account the different living standards among the people, and the difference in ability between people. Accordingly, I see that if health care is made free, it must be based on a law and standards for these people, criteria for choosing those in need and saving them. What right does a person who is able to take Paying money in place of someone who suffers and has nothing to pay?! Thus, if those in need and those who are able to pay are sponsored, they will remain as they are. This will contribute to improving the society's economy and its health as well, and thus a new opportunity for progress.
I think access to healthcare should be a human right, so yes, it should be free. Free means that nobody pays on the spot when they go to the hospital. We pay for that thru our taxes.
Another service that I think should be free is education. This could be explained from a selfish point of view: we share a society so who would be happy to live among uneducated people? We all want to live in a civilised way, so education is the base for that.
Also, we have been trying to make the world a better place for everybody, including for women. Since it's mostly women that take care of children, we should help them when the children are very young, so they can take care of the children but also do some work. So nurseries should be free. This would also help women decide to have children, as we know that in some countries the population is getting older and older. So it would benefit everybody.
I agree with what compelling_hurricane said. Healthcare should be free. It should not be a privilege, it should be a right. Inculcating this into the systems of countries will save many more lives. It will help many more people live to achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams. Moreover, this will also be beneficial to countries as if countries, especially developing countries try to make healthcare free it can help them to develop as free healthcare would mean more people would live and more people means more labor. Labor carry out production of goods and rendering of services. The more the economic activity, the more the growth.
I think the money to finance this project should come from taxes. Since taxes are generally meant for to finance investments in human capital, infrastructure, and provision of services for citizens, it will only be reasonable that this social welfare program should come from taxes. Funding can also come from the donations of people who want to support the free healthcare program.
What should be free? Well I think clean drinking water should be free. There is a popular saying "Water is life". It is a necessity of life and a free gift of nature so I feel it should be free and not paid for but it should be regulated. Enough water should be made free for people but the water should not be given in excess so that it is not wasted. Regulating the water will help to conserve water thereby stopping climate change. But generally, I feel water should be free.
I have always wondered... what really is free in this world. Everything that is "free" gets financed by someone else so is anything really free?
Oh, what a great question to end on. What do you think the answer is?
I don't think anything is really free. It just seems so because we don't pay for it but in the real sense when we forgo the cost of something it falls back on someone else in the end.
I think the answer to this is that most of the times, there is nothing that is free because when you sit and clearly look at most of the free things in most cases they are indirectly paid for and that makes most of the things not free.
I think that healthcare should be free, because there are people who don't have a lot money who can't get treatment because of that. I think that the money should come from the government. Another public service that should be free is education. I think this way because having education is a right, and since it is a right we really shouldn't have to pay for it. Also, some parents can't get their children into school because of the cost, so that's another reason why I think education should be free.
I believe that healthcare should be free because in today's world many surgeries and other task that healthcare provide could end up being thousands of dollars and many people will not be able to pay that depending on their circumstances.The money to pay for the surgeries should come from taxes, and people who are willing to contribute.
Education should also be free, paying for college is absurd. Education is a need to everyone and should be at no expense.
In my opinion, health care should be free because it is essential and everyone deserves it regardless their income status. This can be done by the government and they can do this by;
Slightly increasing the price of essential products like soap, fuel(for vehicles), food products among other. And this they can be done with all companies that produce the above products in the country. After the increase, they set something like about 8% of every above product goes to the health sector to aid payment of doctors and buying medicine and equipment for treating people.
In addition to that, the government can also slightly increase taxes. And with that health care can be free
We are losing a lot of people because they don't have the money to treat themselves. For example, someone who needs a catheterization operation that he considers too expensive and undergoes open-heart surgery, in which most people lose their lives. So the service should be free. Most people don't need free care, so the cost will be low and they can be helped through the crime of taxes on imported goods and services and outside support from rich countries.
Of course, these free services are not limited to health care, as education is one of the most important things in life, and many people do not find this opportunity even though they are able and willing to learn, as well as some recreational places. Many children want to play and have fun, but their parents may not be able to keep them happy.
I think that Education should be free as stated in the International Human Rights Law 1948, and we all know that education is a right . Education is the greatest weapon in this world . Education contributes to the progress and development of the state in all fields and the culture of society depends on the extent of education of its members , as the educated society is aware of any negative phenomena that many children of unconscious and uneducated societies may be exposed to , which may lead to the deterioration of societies and deviation their children.
What a person spends on education is an additional and large burden added to other burdens, as the costs of enrolling in schools are a ghost that worries parents and the student himself, and drains many of the parents' pockets, so countries and governments must adopt the principle of free education for their children.
Free education has many benefits for man and society because :
1-Free education is important because it guarantees a certain level of education to every student. Every student has equal access to this level of education and has the right to equality.
2-Education is the key to a safe life. When a student is an learner, it is easier to succeed in the future.
3-Education gives children the ability to think positively and take a more positive attitude towards life.
4- Education means freedom of will that most students will get an education and thus increase their chances of getting a job.
5- free education means that any child from anywhere will be able to use the same quality of education. It also creates equality between students in school . This ensures that students remain debt-free.
6-Educated individuals contribute significantly to the building and development of societies, such as participating in voting during eelection .
Personally, I think education is important for everyone to succeed in their academic, social and political life. Education should not be monopolized so that the whole world can live with equality, solving problems like poverty or famine in the world. Otherwise, the world will not step forward and can't face the difficulties of our time .
I think from reading the written comments that one of the most important things and rights that should be free is the right to freedom. Freedom is the ability to make decisions for ourselves. We are free to think and express our minds, choose our own way of life, and participate with anyone we want. Freedom breeds trust. And trust is an essential component of leadership and life in general. In short, freedom is important to all of us, as individuals and as societies. We are free to choose our future and pursue our educational goals. And society is free to make laws that protect our personal rights and freedoms, and when freedom exists and Once you have freedom, you will have the right to treatment, health and education.
Yes, health care centers should be free to reduce the rate at which people die in a country, and if you ask me where the money should come from, I can answer you very well. The money should be got from the taxes paid. Or they can charge more taxes on goods that are entering the country so that the money can be invested in health centres to make it easy for everyone to afford proper medical care. To be honest there are many poor patients dying out there because they cannot afford the expensive medicines sold. There are government hospitals built but they're also not helping people at all, they lack enough medicine and other things necessary for the well being of people
Yes, other public services like education should be made free to improve on the country's economy reason being, if a country has many educated citizens, then they will get well paying jobs that will earn the country money that can even be invested in health centres
I personally think that healthcare should be free as "Compelling_Hurricane" said people die everyday because they don't have the money. If healthcare was free where would the money come from? First of all money can come from fundraising. Maybe since it would be free people will be more willing to donate. And also the money for the quality of the hospitals, and doctors salary should come from taxes. I don't know much about it but my teacher us comes from Scotland and they have the nhs there and although I know this isn't perfect it sounds very good for the people who use these services. But I did hear people have to wait a long time for appointments so maybe when you make things free it makes the demand bigger and I think this is what the problem can be. I also think they could pay for some of their medicines because this is very expensive and giving it for free costs a lot of Money that could be saved if people buy their own cheaper medicines like paracetamol