“A Privilege or a Right!”
Much of health care policy in this country is shaped by legislators, who often shape policy in their own image of how the health care system should work. These policy decisions are affected by personal beliefs about healthcare, one of the most important of which is whether or not health care is a right or a privilege. What is “your opinion” of healthcare being a right or privilege?
A “privilege,” is a right or liberty granted as a favor or benefit especially to some and not others. (Merriam-Webster’s) Right is defined as something to which one has a just claim without asking anyone else’s permission. (Merriam-Webster’s)
Health care should be a right to every human. “Every human should be afforded the basic right to a standard of living that ensures the health and well-being of oneself and one’s family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care,” as stated in a 1948 document the parent body of UNESCO – the United Nations preserved this right of health care in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (Dunand) I believe that the concept of one’s health and being able to access and afford a system of quality health care in order to maintain health is a universal right. In 1943, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created his “Second Bill of Rights.” He declared ‘freedom of want’ to be one of four essential liberties for human security. His definition of freedom included, “the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.” [Dundad “The Right To Health Care in the United States of America – What Does It Mean?” (Center for Economic and Social Rights (2004)]. Without our health, where would we be? If we do not have the functionality of health, then what do we have. I say, “Nothing at all.” In order to be productive citizens in our society we must be able to operate physically and mentally with a sound mind and body.
Many programs have been enacted to help foster the idea that health care should be afforded to every human being. Some of the programs that help to support health care as a fundamental right to all human beings include the Medicaid and Medicare legislation. The Medicaid and Medicare legislation acts were passed in 1965 to include the most vulnerable population: the elderly, disabled, and low-income. (Sultz and Young 33-38) These programs in collaboration with many other programs attribute to my philosophy that health care is a basic human right and should be treated as so. The Affordable Care Act, which is to be implemented in 2014, was one program created by President Obama to help foster this concept of health care as a right for all Americans. Obama fully stands by his plan to make sure every American receives health care. In a press conference in early June, President Obama stated “Quality, affordable care is not some earned privilege-it’s a right”. (Crabtree) The government is no way trying to diminish the liberties of individuals through their state funded programs, but rather the government is working to foster the ideas of affording and accessing health care. Through partnerships with private divisions and providing Americans with many opportunities to preserve health, and most importantly the support of the American people a movement of a better quality of life can be formed.
There are others that believe that health care should be a mere privilege. They view it as a mere commodity to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Those who believe that health care is a privilege believe that you have a right to health care if you can pay for it. They believe that no one has the right to a service of any specialized person or persons just because he/she may desperately need it. I disagree with this concept because again, I say, the very foundation of life is health. There are millions who do not have the means to afford health care or have access to health care like other individuals. Human rights are rights that are inherent to all human beings and founded on the dignity and worth of a human being. If this is true, how can one say that health care is a privilege? If one cannot have access to a basic human right, then what does that say about one’s country? Does that make them less of a person? Does that make their lives not worthy of living? I say absolutely not. To be indifferent to the idea that health care is a right, is to believe that health care is only for those who can afford it, inviting the concept that a country Declaration of Independence declares life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to be inalienable rights and health care, though not mentioned by name is the essence of life to pursue this concept.
There will be struggles- there always have been- and they are already underway again. But as we moved forward in these months, I learned that you will not yield to calls to retreat- that you will stay with the cause until it is won. I saw your conviction that the time is now and witnessed your unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity. But you have also reminded all of us that it concerns more than material things; that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country. And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a families’ health will never again on the amount of a families’ wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will –yes, we will-fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege (Crabtree)
The words of Senator Kennedy’s elicit the feelings of many, in regards to health care; it is a right not a privilege.
