Economic inequality is a widespread issue in the U.S. today which leads to unequal access to healthcare. A commodified healthcare system can cause poor families to go bankrupt from healthcare expenses. One solution is public, single payer healthcare that covers all citizens of the U.S. A common critique to the idea of universal healthcare concerns the means for financing it. Explained later is a plan involving a tax on the uber-rich to pay for healthcare coverage for everyone. In addition, the loss of jobs in the healthcare private sector could be significant. Job losses caused by the transition to such a system would necessitate offering salaries and retraining for other professions to those who will lose their job. Many different variations of universal healthcare have been implemented. Some are fully public single payer, some are public with private options as well, and some are private companies that are heavily regulated by the government. The simplest and best option is a fully public single payer system. The U.S. is the only OECD country that doesn’t offer universal healthcare. In order for real change to occur, it is necessary to take what some may view as a radical stance.
