Healthcare, a system in the U.S. that Americans are supposed to rely on when it comes to injuries or illnesses. The system that is supposed to be a safety net for when the unexpected happens. 

Yet, this is the system that burns holes in people’s pockets and makes it impossible for them to receive the help they need. While some think universal health care is a privilege, not a right, universal health care could save many lives. 

Countless lives are being lost because of a system that has failed to support them in the way they need. An article released by Britannica states that lack of health insurance is associated with 44,789 deaths per year. People have had to come to choices that shouldn’t even be imaginable. Medical supplies such as inhalers or Epipens are raised to ridiculous prices that some can’t afford, which could cost them their life. 

That statement itself is so frightening but common to so many people around the country. At least 27 million people in the U.S. go uninsured each year. Although everyone should be able to have access to healthcare, it just isn’t America’s reality.

Furthermore, many health insurance companies can’t even act in a timely manner, and many families are left stranded waiting for them to put in their cut. During that time someone could have already come to dire circumstances  due to such a long waiting period. 

According to HealthExec, a universal healthcare system would save 68 thousand lives annually by ensuring access to all Americans. Prescriptions, treatments and hospital bills could all be reduced and could save countless lives. This means families won’t have to go through the heartache of seeing someone they love ill, instead of just standing there hopeless because they can’t get the help they need. 

The problem with this fragmented, broken system is that it’s going to take a while to recuperate to make universal healthcare a possibility. But, slow and steady wins the race, especially this one. So, in the meantime expanding coverage with more affordable healthcare options could help many with low incomes and could already save many citizens.

Everyone deserves the right to free healthcare. It is a basic right for citizens to be able to live a happy life without paying bills worth thousands of dollars. The U.S. healthcare system has failed citizens for years, and it’s time for a change. 

It is time for the government to realize that healthcare is supposed to be reliable and sustainable. Yet, that has not been true at all, and people are still struggling and dying every day due to the terrible system. The right to healthcare is a human right. Everyone deserves the chance to live a healthy life, and everyone deserves a chance at life.