Top 10 Reasons to Enact Single-Payer Healthcare in the U.S.

When the founding fathers said that everyone has a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," we only focused on the latter two. No one should be threatened with death just because they cannot pay for their treatment. No one should have to pay money to stay alive.

This is why we have public police forces and fire departments. Sadly, in this country, thousands die each year because they cannot afford treatment.

Employers spend billions every year paying for their employees' health insurance. If it were no longer necessary for them to pay for their coverage, they could use those extra funds to either raise their employees' wages or cut prices, both of which would benefit the economy.

The average American spends thousands annually on healthcare. If healthcare were made to be free, or at least significantly cheaper, they could use their savings to invest or spend that money, effectively creating demand, which would lead to job growth.

Right now, many people ignore warning signs of an illness or disease because they do not want to pay for a checkup. Because of this, their illness can grow, which can harm the public. It also raises our health costs because the person with the disease must undergo treatment, even if they cannot pay, which raises prices for everyone else.

Under a system of universal healthcare, people will no longer ignore these crucial warning signs and will seek health before their illness becomes catastrophic.

Right now, pharmaceutical companies drastically overprice potentially life-saving drugs. Very little of their profits actually go to research like they claim. The majority of the profit goes to corporate executives and their shareholders.

Currently, the VA is allowed to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, and VA patients are, on average, charged half of what the average consumer under a private plan pays for pharmaceutical drugs. If the government were allowed to negotiate with these companies, these drugs would be much cheaper.

There would be a lot less red tape when going to the hospital. No yelling at your insurance provider on the phone about how they said they would pay a certain percentage of your treatment, but they only paid a different percentage.

Under a single-payer system, this would no longer happen. You're covered no matter what.

Almost every other first-world country guarantees healthcare for all, although their systems may differ. The U.S. even signed a UN document in 1948 stating that medical care is a right, although it isn't in our country.

Many conservatives support lifting regulations in the healthcare industry, stating that the free market will naturally lower costs. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is no "shopping around" in healthcare like there would be for a pair of tennis shoes.

Study after study shows that patients in need of urgent care almost always go to the nearest hospital, no matter how expensive it may be. Surprisingly, people who are dying aren't going to take the time to Google different prices of healthcare providers in their area.

Since there isn't a free market in healthcare, healthcare must be recognized as a right. The whole idea of capitalism is that there is competition. If there is little competition in a particular industry, then what is the point of having markets in the first place?

If fewer people are sick, then there are fewer people missing work or school. Workers will become more productive, and students will improve in school. Both of these outcomes would help the economy.