I am usually the first to admit that the prospect of more government scares me. As a conservative, I consider individuals operating in their own interests to be far more effective and ethical in accomplishing tasks and offering services than are bureaucrats whose only concern is expanding their budgets and staying in power. I equate more government with more invasion of my life, higher taxes and, ultimately, a loss of freedom. When it comes to health care, however, favoring a leaner government does not excuse the plight for the 46 million Americans who have no health insurance. Our health care system is not only unfair to American citizens but also to American corporations. Our largest corporations, the economic base for millions of American jobs, pay billions of dollars in employee and retiree health care costs while many of their foreign competitors are not required to do so. The United States needs universal health care to remain a nation devoted to freedom and to remain competitive in a globalized world.

The above is far from the only reason conservatives must embrace universal health care. From a moral standpoint, it is a shame and an outrage that in the wealthiest country in the world, almost 15 percent of our population has no health insurance. It becomes even more outrageous when leaving people without coverage is costing the government as well as the American taxpayer more money than it would to provide a reasonable standard of care. American consumers spend $5,711 dollars per capita on health care. That number is by far the highest in the world, nearly doubling the expenditures of the many countries that have universal health care. Over a year and a half ago, a bipartisan group of 150 major corporations, unions, health care organizations, religious groups and pension providers presented an analysis to Congress, which found that switching to a universal health care program could save the U.S. government $125 billion annually by 2010.

Providing health care as a basic service is also in line with conservative ideology concerning personal responsibility and merit. Not worrying about escalating health care costs will allow individuals to hold steady jobs and make ends meet more easily. Uninsured families would be free to engage in private enterprise without the burden of paying for health care. They might choose to spend more money on consumer goods, thereby stimulating the economy, or to save money so they can send their kids to better schools and universities, thus making our workforce more competitive.

The American taxpayer and the uninsured will not be the only beneficiaries of universal health care. Corporations like General Motors, Boeing, Ford and Exxon that employ millions of Americans might save billions of dollars. By reducing health care costs to our businesses, we are creating excess capital, which in turn aids corporate growth and global competitiveness. GM currently spends $1,525 per car on health care costs while its Japanese rival Toyota spends only $201 — and Japan has universal health care. In other words, globalization renders it impossible for American corporations to compete as long as they must pay for employee health care. Lowering health care costs would make American corporations more profitable and could save thousands of American jobs.

To ease the minds of skeptics like me, universal health care does not mean that the American taxpayer is going to foot the bill for 100 percent of all health care costs for all Americans. That is socialized health care, which is vastly different from universal health care. Universal health care only means that everyone is covered. Depending on the program we put in place, the government could be paying only for those who cannot afford health insurance on their own. I am not advocating a 100 percent government controlled and managed health care plan. I believe letting insurance companies compete to provide insurance to Americans will help to lower costs. I simply oppose the denial of care to anyone born or naturalized as an American citizen.

This nation so blessed with wealth and power unmatched in history must provide health care for all its citizens. It must not fail its corporations by forcing them to compete against foreign rivals whose governments help them remain competitive. Universal health care can benefit both the American working establishment and corporate America, and it is uncommon for such different interests to align so perfectly. We conservatives must not let our reflexive opposition to big government blind us from the economic and social reality that is the necessity of health care for all Americans.

Chart Westcott is a senior in the College of Arts and Science.