SOC 490, Week 5

            This week we had one of the most heated conversations about Universal Health Care yet.  One of the first things professor had brought to our attention was whether or not people have control over their own health.  This particular question could be answered either way.  People have control over what they eat and the amount of exercise they take part in, but they do not have control over things that happen genetically.   A person that watches their health as if it were their job can have anything happen to them in an instant.  Some things in life are truly out of our hands, even if we have a small grasp on part of it.

            Another one of the points that was brought up this week in class was that once we allow everyone to have access to health care, people will abuse the system.  I have agree with Gladwell, I do not think it will.  If anything I believe that it will be like any other new thing that comes out in America.  At first, many people will take advantage of health care simply because they have access to it; however, after a few years I do not think that will be the case.  The only thing it will lead to is the prevention of things, just as Gladwell argued.  People will go to the doctor in order to take more precautions; such as moles which could potentially prevent cancer.

            This also leads into another point, which is whether or not Universal Health Care is a “moral hazard.”   Again, I must agree with what Gladwell argues.  He asks, "You always hear that the demand for health care is unlimited. This is just not true. People who are very well insured, who are very rich, do you see them checked into the hospital because it's free?”  I could not agree with this argument more.  People always put off going to the doctor and/or dentist because they would rather be enjoying their free time rather than sitting in a waiting room.

            Even though I supported Gladwell in this blog, I must start end by saying these past few weeks have changed my opinion about Universal Health Care.  At first, I strongly believed that it was a right rather than a privilege. I thought that people should automatically have access to health care, regardless of their social status.  Now, six weeks into the course and trying to understand the other side, I realized that having it as a privilege has better information to support it.  America’s health care is not broken, so why fix it?