Is Health Care a "Basic Right?"
In the US there is the phrase that we are born with inalienable rights, is Health included or does one earn the right to health care?
80-89, M
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Heartlander · 80-89, M
I believe our unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness came from our creator and not our constitution nor our or any government. It's the most beautiful part of our declaration of independence. Those are human rights, not just American rights. Those rights apply to all of humankind.
I don't believe there is a basic right to healthcare because it involves infringing too heavily on other people's rights to pay for or provide the healthcare. I do however, believe, it is a responsibility of all of us, collectively and individually, to take steps to make healthcare available to every man, woman, and child on earth. The idea of "everyone on earth" may be a pipe dream, but the USA may be a good place to start.
The issue I have with the US discussion on rights to healthcare is that the current approach is to selectively forces just some Americans to pay for it while the government strong-arms the health care industry to provide it. This is insane. It would be like feeding the hungry poor by forcing grocery stores to give the food away free to poor customers and thus forcing the stores to charge more to people with money.
There is a better way: Public Health.
I don't believe there is a basic right to healthcare because it involves infringing too heavily on other people's rights to pay for or provide the healthcare. I do however, believe, it is a responsibility of all of us, collectively and individually, to take steps to make healthcare available to every man, woman, and child on earth. The idea of "everyone on earth" may be a pipe dream, but the USA may be a good place to start.
The issue I have with the US discussion on rights to healthcare is that the current approach is to selectively forces just some Americans to pay for it while the government strong-arms the health care industry to provide it. This is insane. It would be like feeding the hungry poor by forcing grocery stores to give the food away free to poor customers and thus forcing the stores to charge more to people with money.
There is a better way: Public Health.
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Heartlander · 80-89, M
@KinkyKev
I agree.
So many special interest hands in the healthcare pot that it looks hopeless. And heck, we don't even know how to define basic healthcare. From here it looks more like political knee-jerk or the tail wagging the dog. Here's an example: Insurance MUST cover the cost of annual mammograms for women over 40, but usually don't cover screening for aneurysms.
Here's my favorite contradiction: MedicAid covers nursing home costs, but people who don't qualify for Medicaid and pay their own nursing home costs (staggering BTW), don't get to deduct nursing home cost as medical expenses on their IRS 1040.
Or my favorite: If I had paid with cash for a recent emergency room visit, my total bill would have been about $37,000. But Medicare paid that bill for me and they only had to pay a grand total of about $2,300. It's almost comic to see how health care providers escape anti-trust and price-fixing laws.
I tend to think of health care and education as comparable entitlements. Public education is there for the masses, and there's usually no cashier at the school house door to collect admission fees. It's affordable to the citizens (taxpayers) because the cost is negotiated between the citizens representatives and the teachers. In general, indirectly, the cost and quality of 1-12 education is determined collectively by the locals, and the federal government is but an annoying spectator.
I think a public healthcare system could model off of our public school system with local health care districts, like they have local school districts. The health care districts would hire and fire the doctors and nurses, own the hospitals, etc. And the all the citizens in the district would have access to the services, with the cost being covered by local taxes.
And, like we have private schools in America, there would likewise be private health care providers, and people could freely choose whether to use the public or the private systems.
A public healthcare system wouldn't be like a single payor system. There would be no insurance involved. There would also be no serious federal oversight.
Some public school districts are great, some are horrible. Which of the two is up to the people. Likewise some public healthcare districts would be great and some sot-so-great. Likewise up to people in that district.
Just my rambling thoughts :)
I agree.
So many special interest hands in the healthcare pot that it looks hopeless. And heck, we don't even know how to define basic healthcare. From here it looks more like political knee-jerk or the tail wagging the dog. Here's an example: Insurance MUST cover the cost of annual mammograms for women over 40, but usually don't cover screening for aneurysms.
Here's my favorite contradiction: MedicAid covers nursing home costs, but people who don't qualify for Medicaid and pay their own nursing home costs (staggering BTW), don't get to deduct nursing home cost as medical expenses on their IRS 1040.
Or my favorite: If I had paid with cash for a recent emergency room visit, my total bill would have been about $37,000. But Medicare paid that bill for me and they only had to pay a grand total of about $2,300. It's almost comic to see how health care providers escape anti-trust and price-fixing laws.
I tend to think of health care and education as comparable entitlements. Public education is there for the masses, and there's usually no cashier at the school house door to collect admission fees. It's affordable to the citizens (taxpayers) because the cost is negotiated between the citizens representatives and the teachers. In general, indirectly, the cost and quality of 1-12 education is determined collectively by the locals, and the federal government is but an annoying spectator.
I think a public healthcare system could model off of our public school system with local health care districts, like they have local school districts. The health care districts would hire and fire the doctors and nurses, own the hospitals, etc. And the all the citizens in the district would have access to the services, with the cost being covered by local taxes.
And, like we have private schools in America, there would likewise be private health care providers, and people could freely choose whether to use the public or the private systems.
A public healthcare system wouldn't be like a single payor system. There would be no insurance involved. There would also be no serious federal oversight.
Some public school districts are great, some are horrible. Which of the two is up to the people. Likewise some public healthcare districts would be great and some sot-so-great. Likewise up to people in that district.
Just my rambling thoughts :)
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