Is health care a "right"

Nurses Activism

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Now that the affordable care act is rolling out I wonder if we should revisit this notion. AND (maybe more particularly) if it is a right, is the federal government the best instrument to provide it.

No, it's not a right. How can you possibly have a right to anything that somebody else has to provide for you? The only true right is the right to be left alone and allowed to exist, and if fact, by guaranteeing healthcare to everyone regardless of ability to pay, we are actually infringing upon the rights of those who do have to pay for it. But that's okay, because by living in a society we voluntarilty choose (both by our vote and by our power to simply leave the community if we choose) to allow some of our rights to be infringed upon in exchange for mutually assured security. And healthcare is good for society, and those with more resources should be required to help provide it for those who legitimately cannot provide it for themselves. But lets not mince words and muddle definitions. It isn't a right.

To those who say it's inhumane to withhold healthcare. Fair enough. It's definitely cruel to turn away someone at the ER who is bleeding to death from a gunshot wound. But what if there are twenty gunshot victims, and one nurse or doctor. Is it inhumane to turn them away? Is it infringing upon their rights to be unable to help them all? How do you reconcile their "right" to care with the reality that there are insufficient resources to provide it? The answer is that it is not, and cannot be a right, because it requires the time and resources of another. Hopefully we will always live in a society where resources outstrip need, but if for some reason that's not the case, we'll have some hard decisions to make and we owe it to ourselves to be clear and logical when debating these issues. If we start calling healthcare a right, yet we find ourselves in situations where we cannot ensure this "right" to every citizen, what about my right to not be raped, robbed or murdered? Are those in jeopardy too? Let's please not mince words.

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You are already paying for the cost of the uninsured...you are just doing it in the most expensive way possible.

We have had government out of our health care, it has been run by capitalists.

As a result we have the worst health outcomes at the highest cost in the world with millions uninsured and millions more under-insured. Too many middle class people are forced into bankrupcy every year due to medical bills.

Our free market health system now costs us a significant portion of our GDP...you pay for it in that respect too. Before recommending we return to the failures of the past, perhaps you could consider improving things for the people of the country rather than the corporations.

I would much rather pay federal taxes to insure that my fellow citizens are healthy than to pay federal taxes to insure that corporations get their entitlements and record profits.

It is the government's job to protect the people...not the church.

Twedles, we do not have a free market health care system as it stands, remember medicare. So it is not fair or accurate to state that we have a free market health care system. One could argue that medicare (government invovlement) is part of the problem.

Also, yes it is the governments job to protect people but not to provide for their every need. I do believe it is the responsibility of the church or other charities to provide for the poor, this allows people to have the choice to give, not forces them. Caring for others should be a strictly moral choice, not a legally imposed requirement. Liberals seem to like choice when it comes to the life and death of the unborn but not when it comes to the choice of how to spend money. Truly this is evidence of the moral bankruptcy of the left and American majority.

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correct.. the government has the responsibility for taking care of the people that's why they created low cost health care plans

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Specializes in ICU, BURNS, TRAUMA, TRANSPORT, HH.

God forbid that anyone would have to depend upon a/the church for financing their health needs.

That is not their function.

In fact, Jesus told his church that there would be poor always. He wanted them to heal them spiritually and afforded them that power, to include physical healing as a means to reach through their skepticism and into their souls.

The physical health of mammals is up to the mammal(s) according to their behavior and experience.

Most mammals protect their young. Some eat them.

Some herds protect the young.

Many mammals abandon the old, crippled, and infirm to die. Some do not.

Most, but not all humans have determined to live in social groups.

How altruistic we are in our social and community life is dependent upon us.

Exactly how "evolved" are we?

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wow i cant imagine a church financing a health care for a lot of people. I dont think that is their obligation. however, it would be nice for them to create a program that could help other people with health needs annually or quarterly

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Specializes in Critical-care RN.

Souls in Hell want ice water to...

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Specializes in ICU, BURNS, TRAUMA, TRANSPORT, HH.
wow i cant imagine a church financing a health care for a lot of people. I dont think that is their obligation. however, it would be nice for them to create a program that could help other people with health needs annually or quarterly

Some churches do have "programs' like that...as part of their "mission" work.

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charity works?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

How many people LIVED without health insurance, have diagnoses of asthma, diabetes, and was able to have the same quality of life???

I just want to know...it's nice to talk about "health insurance privilege" if one has no major health issues, especially the chronic health issues that people are born with, or a major medical catastrophe and say its a right. :blink:

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Bold and italics mine...

If we allow our greatest asset, the working classes, to be financially destroyed by the for profit health system we will be in serious trouble as a nation...as evidenced by our current trends.

What are the "working classes" and how are they are "greatest asset". Wealthy people work too. Besides, I thought the standard mantra was that children are our greatest asset. Then we come to the discussion about education being a right, look how badly the government run schools are doing, and you want this same government run the health care system ?

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charity works?

Charities generaly spend money more wisely than the government does. They have to as they understand that money is a limited resource. The government is just the opposite, they spend freely and raise taxes to pay for it. High taxes only hurt the economy, common sense.

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Specializes in Critical-care RN.

... please get a life, OBAMA healthcare is now the law of the land !

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