Healthcare is probably one of the most elusive services that affect mankind. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most expensive services in almost all countries. The idea of free healthcare, therefore, comes as a welcome solution to many of the health problems that affect humans. So what are some of the pros and cons of free healthcare?
Pros:
1. It is free: The fact that it is free makes it the topmost advantage of free healthcare. People do not have to pay for it and they can access it anywhere at any time. This means that even the poorest of society are free to get the best medical care.
2. It covers everyone: Free healthcare is important because it covers everyone who may need any medical attention. Anyone, whether they are employed or not, is free to access healthcare from wherever they are.
3. It can be accessed at any time: Free healthcare is advantageous because it can be accessed at any time. No one needs to wait for any approval from anyone anywhere to get the health service.
4. Improved public health: Free healthcare means that more and more people will be able to access the much-needed healthcare across the board which leads to improved public health for the entire nation.
5. Less paperwork: Free healthcare means that most people if not all are already registered in the public database and therefore less paperwork is required before the healthcare can be accessed.
6. Encourages entrepreneurship: Free healthcare is instrumental in that it encourages entrepreneurship since most people do not have to spend money on accessing health services that are normally very expensive.
7. Reduces medical bankruptcies: Free healthcare comes in handy for most families because it reduces the financial strain normally associated with accessing medical care hence reducing the bankruptcies that most families undergo.
8. Keeps families healthy: Free healthcare helps in keeping families healthy at all times since the health services can be accessed as and when required by anyone.
9. Boosts the economy:
A healthy nation is a working nation. Free healthcare means that everyone can access medical care whenever they are in need which means most people can remain productive in the workplace which boosts the economy.
10. It is a human right: Free healthcare is important because it is a sign of respect for human life, which is basically a human right.
11. Saves lives: Free medical healthcare means that more and more lives are able to be saved as a result of quick access to healthcare. The mortality rate will therefore be reduced.
Cons:
1. Leads to socialism: Free healthcare is detrimental because it may lead to a socialistic society which, in most cases, tends to encourage some form of laziness among the populace.
2. Long wait time: Free healthcare is disadvantageous because it creates longer queues at the healthcare facilities hence people have to wait long hours before they can access the service.
3. Medical abuse leads to rationing: Free healthcare means people may sometimes abuse the services which may end up being rationed in order to encourage rationality and prudent use.
4. No competition:
Free healthcare discourages competition in the health sector. This means that the quality of the services being rendered may also be significantly reduced because there is no yardstick to measure the quality.
5. Reduced quality of healthcare: Free healthcare will have a direct impact on the quality of the services being provided because so many people need the same service and no returns are recorded for the service providers.
6. Increases government debt: Free medical healthcare means that the government gets to foot the entire bill which may sometimes push the government to borrow in order to facilitate the service.
7. May lead to slow growth of economy: Free healthcare may also affect the growth of the economy since the funds directed towards the provision of free healthcare may have been used in other development projects.
8. Increased bureaucracy: Free healthcare may also mean that there is increased bureaucracy especially in the hospitals which may delay the healthcare service.
9. Delayed access to treatment: Most people stand to get delayed treatment which may turn out to be deadly in some instances because there are so many people in need of the service and one has to wait their turn.
10. May encourage corruption: Free healthcare may also encourage corruption, especially in government hospitals because the funds remitted by the government are not thoroughly scrutinized.
