BRITISH DEBATE U.S. HEALTHCARE REFORM

by Neo Moneri and Kien Bui
On November 6, Rennie Forum was almost filled to capacity as students, staff, faculty and community members came to witness a very lively debate over which healthcare system is preferable: the U.S. system or the British system.
The debate was sponsored by the Honors Program and was a part of the British Debate Tour of the English Speaking Union across the country. The two debaters were Andrew Tuffin, a graduate of King’s College London, and Dan Bradley, a Ph. D candidate from the University of Manchester.
Tuffin argued for the British universal health care system, in which all citizens are insured regardless of income or health condition. Tuffin pointed out that the U.S. has the most expensive private healthcare system in the world, spending twice as much as the British. Yet, in the U.S., there are still 40 million people either uninsured or underinsured, and people with pre-existing conditions are still denied coverage. Stressing healthcare to be a right and not a privilege, Tuffin argued mainly the right to equality provided by nationalized healthcare, as necessitated by moral obligation.
However, Bradley argued that the American healthcare system is the best system in the world. He pointed out that millions of people from all over the world come to the United States each year to seek better medical treatments. Also, the U.S. has the best medical technology and innovation. Bradley asserted that funding for research would be reduced if there was a government takeover of the healthcare system.
A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows that 25 percent of Americans generally believe that the government can always do the best job for them. The poll challenges Tuffin’s suggestion that government can best manage the $2 trillion healthcare system.
On the other hand, 70 percent of bankruptcies in the U.S. are linked to medical costs, and millions of families lose homes each year due to expensive health coverage and associated bills. The fact that 70% of all bankruptcies are linked to medical costs lends to the argument that the private market is dysfunctional and in need of urgent governmental intervention.
Resolutions remain debated, but all can agree that healthcare reform is the utmost priority.

Mr. Moneri is a member of the Honors Academy. Mr. Bui studies financial economics at the College.