Editor's Note: This is the second of a five-part series focusing on the opinions and concerns of international students who are unable to vote in the presidential election. The topics will correspond to the "It's Your Vote" series that runs on Tuesdays.
Anja Meksem said it is time for America to get the care back in health care.
Meksem, originally of Germany, said health care is a necessity, and all Americans deserve access to affordable insurance. Meksem, a specialist in the office of economic and regional development, said the United States needs to continue to move toward a universal health care plan.
"It was a big difference when I first came here. I realized health care was more of a privilege here compared to Germany where it is a necessity," Meksem said. "It's so essential to make sure people are covered."
Meksem, who worked with global health care company Bayer AG for nine years, said cost for private insurance is why 45.7 million Americans are without coverage. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans without health insurance dropped in 2007 for the first time in President Bush's administration.
The number fell from 47 million in 2006 to 45.7 million the next year, though 600,000 more children were covered in 2007.
Meksem said the United States could solve its health care problems if the nation adopted the universal health care system used by her native Germany and other Western European countries. In Germany, employees pay for half of their insurance coverage and employers pay the rest, Meksem said. Government programs cover the unemployed, she said.
Elisabeth Reichert, a professor from Germany in the School of Social Work, said some Americans' misconceptions about universal health care make them hesitant to change.
She said in Germany people are able to purchase any level of private insurance they want, but government-funded insurance is available to those who cannot afford private coverage.
After experiencing both the German and American health care systems, Reichert said she is confident the quality of care is equal.
"I think the misconception is the health care is slow and the medical practices are not as good (under universal health care)," Reichert said. "But this is not true in Germany. We have great doctors and everyone can get quality care, so those worries are myths."
Iván Sánchez, a graduate student from Mexico in sports management, said universal health care could pose problems.
He said the American system has more benefits than his home country's and mentioned long waits for medical resources as a downside of Mexico's system. However, Sánchez said he likes that everyone can get health care in Mexico and hopes the United States adopts a similar system.
Sánchez said he thinks Sen. Barack Obama offers the best plan for better health care in the future.
"(Sen. John) McCain has some good ideas, but I think Obama is closer to what people need," he said. "Obama wants to lower premiums and focus on lower-income families."
Reichert and Meksem said they agree Obama has a health care plan that would help more people.
Reichert said the U.S. government has focused more on health care during this election but still has a lot of room for improvement. Census figures state that the amount of people covered by government insurance grew from 80.3 million in 2006 to 83 million the next year.
Programs such as Medicaid and the State's Health Insurance Program are a good start, said Reichert, but every time she goes back to Germany she still finds people shocked by the American system.
"People back in Germany still tell me they think it's immoral that the richest companies in the world can have employees without health insurance," Reichert said. "It's out of control in this country. Health is a right, not a privilege, and to know millions of people are uninsured is unthinkable."
Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268 or jengel@siu.edu.
