Jan. 13, 2026
By Alessandra Ricra
Staff Writer
This piece is part of a five-part in-depth reporting project about healthcare.
Injuries and illnesses are inevitable, but in the United States, even common ailments can bring high and unpredictable costs. No one should be forced to choose between their health and their bank account, yet millions of Americans face this choice every day.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in 2023, national health expenditures in the U.S. totaled $4.9 trillion, significantly higher than those of other developed countries. However, according to the Commonwealth Fund, the United States is the only industrialized country that does not guarantee universal health care.
Health care should be a basic human right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy or those whose jobs provide them with this support.
The number of Americans who struggle to access quality, affordable health care continues to increase each year, hitting lower-income Black and Hispanic households the hardest.
According to a 2024 West Health-Gallup healthcare indices study, 8% of white adults were categorized as “cost desperate,” compared with 14% of Black adults and 18% of Hispanic adults. Universal health care would reduce these disparities.
Furthermore, universal health care would encourage more people to schedule routine physicals and detect illnesses before they worsen. For financial reasons, people often delay seeking medical attention until their symptoms intensify, which can be dangerous since many serious diseases become harder to treat when caught at a later stage. Eliminating this barrier would encourage more people to get regular health screenings and reduce the need for more intensive care later on. It would also help detect outbreaks and limit their spread.
Health care should be a basic human right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy or those whose jobs provide them with this support.
Additionally, free health care would alleviate stress for individuals with family members who are ill or have special needs. For these families, medical costs can add up especially fast. According to Powers Health, families with a child who receives treatment for autism spend almost 10 times the amount in health care costs as those with children who do not. Universal health care would protect families from the burden of overwhelming medical debt or bankruptcy, allowing them to seek care for their loved ones without the constant fear of financial strain.
While health care costs in the United States continue to rise, many countries make free health care a priority for their citizens. The Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF Health System found that Canada and the United Kingdom — both of which provide free health care coverage — have higher life expectancies than the United States, demonstrating that accessible care leads to improved health outcomes.
The current U.S. health care system is highly flawed and leaves many Americans struggling to afford the care they need.
While some people fear that universal health care would be too expensive and unrealistic, the United States already spends more on healthcare than other countries, yet fails to ensure coverage for everyone. Therefore, it is time for the United States to establish a healthcare system that is fair and available to all.
