Health care a "right" or a "privilege"?

[monkago2009]

I have thought about this for many days, thinking about the arguments in either direction. I don't know that I have a complete answer yet. Although I feel that basic health care in most of the cases is a right, there are some exceptions. When I see patients that come to my ER as a consequence of personal negligence. I cant avoid feeling like that person is abusing of the health care system. Thus, perhaps the basic care and preventitive care should be a right. However, many of the procedures that are based on people's personal negligence, it becomes a privilege.

Any thoughts???

[MunoRN, RN]

I think as long as the question is posed as something so non-specific it's going to be hard to find any consensus. "Healthcare" includes an extremely wide range of things. I think you'll find the answer to "is erectile dysfunction treatment a right?" is much different than the question "is pain control for a dying patient a right?"