Comments on: Is Healthcare a Right?

By: Dorrence

Dorrence — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:46:00 +0000

The core problem in the debate on Universal Healthcare is this; American’s have lost all conception of what our “Rights” are. Blame this on a declining public (and private) educational system, or just the ever-increasing dependency on the government to solve all our problems, but that is the issue. We need only look to the daily issues we see in politics; The “Right” to abortion; The “Right” to healthcare; The “Right” to education; The “Right” to job security to see that America has lost sight of what “Right’s” truly are.

The Declaration of Independence stated “Rights” correctly when it stated that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In a nut-shell, that didn’t include healthcare, abortion, job-security, etc. The Constitution of the United States further elaborated on “rights” in the first 10 Amendments, but again, Healthcare was not among those listed.

Instead of pushing Universal Healthcare as a “Right” American’s should be getting inventive (as we always have done in the past) and figuring out how we can best afford healthcare, how we can level the playing field with Tort reform, and malpractice insurance reform. The out-of-hand lawsuits against medical providers is the largest issue at hand. This affects practices, charges and access. Unaddressed this will doom any socialized form of healthcare that might be propogated by the left. The one TRUE “Right” that we can rest assured we all have (for now) is to be creative in coming up with solutions for the healthcare issues we now face.

By: Bethany

Bethany — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:08:42 +0000

If healthcare was a right, where would that end for people that needed healthcare due to their lifestyle choices? And who would define when lifestyle or pure genetics played into the healthcare need? Would the government pay for lung cancer treatment for smokers, or heart disease for those that chose unhealthy diets? The more rights we are given, the more responsibility we have to the government and to other Americans. The problem with Americans is we want rights with no responsibilities. We want rights and then we take them and run with them and acuse others of violating them.
We do have a right to manage our own life and prepare for murphy’s law when it happens, and it will. We have to start depending on ourselves and quit asking the government for things. It just makes us more dependent and able to be controlled.

By: Josh Bush

Josh Bush — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:59:56 +0000

I don’t think it’s the responsibility of the government to provide healthcare for everyone. I think there is a line where it transitions from right to privilege. I still think that children should have access to healthcare. We already provide education, why not make sure they are healthy as well? There has to be an age of accountability where the cord gets cut and they become responsible for themselves.

As an aside, I don’t think it’s a fair implication that people without adequate healthcare coverage have the latest and greatest gadgets. I know there are people who are like this, but that can’t be a safe assumption to make on a broad scale.

By: Brian Sharp

Brian Sharp — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:50:17 +0000

thanks for your comments Brandon.

In a true life or death situation, the individual would receive immediate treatment at a hospital by law. However, this case is more unique in that it requires the patient to have a device to help with his condition. So, the condition can be a life threat, but having the device is a different situation.

I just think the patient is responsible in this case for his own self, not the government. He needs to depend on his own resources, if his insurance plan does not cover.

I get more concerned over treatments that are experimental or not covered for major illnesses like Cancer. No individual could cover those costs by themselves.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:46:51 +0000

But this guy IS paying for insurance. If you pay for insurance and it doesn’t cover your actual healthcare needs why pay for it? If existing insurance won’t pay, why would anyone think government insurance would pay? What are some alternatives in situations where insurance won’t pay?

By: Brandon

Brandon — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:27:01 +0000

Healthcare isn’t a right the government should be providing, but at the same time I wouldn’t consider healthcare to be a privilege that should only be available to certian people. It is something that all Americans should have access to, but that doesn’t mean the government should have to provide it. Other ways exist to provide lower cost healthcare that don’t involve the government providing it. Mandatory employer sponsored healthcare plans come to mind.

I don’t think this specific issue addressed in the Women 4 Hope Blog entry mentioned above is an issue involving government sponsored healthcare, however that does seem to be what the author is implying by planning to bring it up presidential candidates.

This individual has access to healthcare, but the plan won’t cover his specific need. I’d like to hear your thoughts on cases like this where a life or death situation exists but the healthcare plan that is in place won’t cover the needed equipment.