The National Health Service, NHS, seems to be a fantastic universal health care service that’s entirely free. This program ensures that everyone in the United Kingdom is eligible to receive care at no cost.  Whether they’re a newborn infant, a rich elderly man, someone who is homeless, or an individual struggling with a drug addiction they are able to go to a doctor’s office or hospital without fear of the costs that will be incurred by the visit.  A British-style National Health Service can, and should be, implemented in the United States of America.
In the United States it’s not that uncommon to see many people neglect to go to their local doctor’s office for a regular checkup, though it’s far more common to see individuals who need medical attention forgo treatment.  Unfortunately, this scenario is all to common nowadays.  Health care costs in the U.S. are exorbitant---a single visit to a general practice could easily cost someone $100 (for example, my doctor is $150 for an office visit) or in the event of an emergency, an ambulance ride could cost over $1,000.  For some these prices matter very little as they can afford to pay, but for others they are the factor that prevents them from receiving health care.  Hundreds of thousands of Americans aren’t able to afford an insurance plan, can’t pay for their medications, and cannot cover the cost of a life-saving treatment so they go without.  As it is now, primarily those in the middle or upper class are able to afford one of the multitude of insurance plans that are offered throughout the country whereas many individuals in the lower class (or lower-middle class) can’t afford any.  A British-style National Health Service being implemented in the United States would change this, and it certainly has the potential to work.  As in Britain, there would be a great deal of popularity surrounding the service which would only increase as time went on.  If implemented, health care costs overall would lower for the economy through standardization, meaning that the government would have the ability to regulate the cost of medical services/treatments as well as medications (primarily prescription medications).
