One of the most divisive and economically pressing questions in U. S. domestic policy over the last several decades has been healthcare. The United States spends
twice as much in terms of Gross Domestic Product on healthcare as the next
biggest spender in the advanced world, and yet our average lifespan is less than
most of the countries on the list. The debate in the U. S. is over whether or not
healthcare should be a part our larger commercial system, and hence accessed
through private insurers giving the consumer more "choice," or whether healthcare
access should be guaranteed to all through either a hybrid public/private system
(like Obamacare) or a more robust public system in which healthcare is guaranteed
to all residents through a government-run healthcare program, with a potential
downside of having less "choice" in such a system. Public polling suggests that there
is no bigger public policy issue that Americans care about as much as healthcare at
this point in our nation's history. For the discussion, which of the various options
listed above (or options that you have researched on your own) do you support as
the way forward for the American healthcare system? Explain your answer, arguing
for its superiority over the other options.