Journal of Health Care and Research

Journal of Health Care and Research [ISSN: 2582-8967]

Rainer W. G. Gruessner^1iD*
1Professor of Surgery, State University of New York (SUNY) – Downstate, NY, USA

Corresponding Author: Rainer W.G. Gruessner, M.D.^{ORCID iD}
Address: Professor of Surgery, State University of New York (SUNY) – Downstate, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
Received date: 06 October 2023; Accepted date: 27 October 2023; Published date: 04 November 2023

Citation: Gruessner RWG. How to Implement Universal Healthcare Coverage in the United States: Two Novel Pathways. J Health Care and Research. 2023 Nov 04;4(3):104-11.

Copyright © 2023 Gruessner RWG. This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords: Universal Health Coverage, Medicare, Expansion, 2-tier Health Insurance, Health Policy, Health Economics

Abstract

Universal Health Coverage does not exist in the United States for two reasons: (1) there is a general unwillingness to dismantle the historically grown framework of the world’s most complex mix of public and private sector health coverage, and (2) mere cost considerations. The first concern can be alleviated by establishing a Universal Health Coverage system that retains much of the existing U.S. health infrastructure. The two proposed pathways presented herein comprise either (1) a leveled solution through Medicare expansion for the uninsured only, or (2) a more complex solution through a national, 2-tier healthcare system for all Americans. Both pathways are based on solid financing without major tax increases, utilizing existing and/or yet untapped funding sources. For the sake of forming a more perfect union, as stated in the Constitution, Universal Health Coverage in the United States must no longer be an illusion that continues to haunt our society in the 21^st century.