Health care a right or privilege

d'cm · Mar 18, 2012

before we can answer the question if healthcare is a right we must first attempt to define what a right is. one approach it to acknowledge that a right is matched with an obligation. if one has an obligation to another, the other has a right. those rights and obligations can be created by law, contract or be deemed "self-evident "or inalienable. the latter being life, liberty , pursuit of happiness and thatall men are created equal.

so is health an inalienable right? i think we would agree that depriving someoneof health would be violation of their inalienable rights. can we have healthwithout healthcare? i would argue no. formost of human history this question could not have been conceived as only veryrecently has healthcare practice been effective in treating disease. healthcare has evolved to a necessity formaintaining our life and ability pursue happiness. it has also become so expensive that withoutinsurance there is sure to be a loss of property and financial liberty ifillness occurs.

in the united states the only healthcare legally obligated to be provided (with no guaranteeof payment) is in hospitals. roughly, 57% of americans have insurance throughtheir employer but those employers have no obligation to provide that coverage.16 % have no coverage and 27% are covered under government programs. the latter recipients are the only ones whohave a legally defined right to healthcare. the people of the united states through theirelected officials have clearly accepted the idea that the government has anobligation to protect the health of its citizens. government regulation insuring safe food, safemedication, clean air, clean water and even safe highways are taken for grantedfor a vast majority of americans. the affordable care act is consistent with ourenacted obligations to protect thehealth of americans by ensuring (almost) all will have basic healthcarecoverage.

damrcngrl95 · Mar 18, 2012

I can't answer for sure if health care is a right or not, but it doesn't seem to stop people who have no intention of paying their bill walking into an ER and raising the cost of health care and my insurance. I think the problems with our system goes beyond this argument. We are going to pay for someone else's health care whether we like it or not. I see the argument as making regulations or laws that forces people to go to a doctor or an urgent care clinic instead of the most expensive alternative, ER. If it means bearing some of the costs to do it, my feeling is that I already do. I do see our health care turning into a class of the haves and have nots even if the Affordable Health Care Act survives. I see a future where those who have a career and can afford private health insurance will carry it because it wii be better care. Those who prefer or can't afford the private insurance will be covered with a basic health coverage that takes care of yearly check ups, minor concerns, and emergencies. Any elective surgeries or care will not be covered.

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Mar 18, 2012

The problem with our system is the business model. We are expected to provide contingency coverage to be used when needed. What I mean is that the public expects us to have ERs, and ORs, and cath labs ready and waiting for when they need them. But, they don't want to pay for them until they actually use them. You can't build a hospital after someone needs one, it has to be done beforehand. That means other people are paying to prepare your health care system so it's there when you need it. Ethically this is not right. This falls under things that society provides like roads, power, national defense and so on.

cry me a river · Mar 21, 2012

I love the system here in America, Instead of whining on the sidelines, get in on the freebees!!!!

I just love it American's are so tore up on this issue, but WHO CAN AFFORD IT ANYWAY, I FILE MY MEDICAL BILLS UNDER "G"

and G equals the GARBAGE CAN.

I CALL ER BILLs JUNK MAIL. I Let my friends son draw on the envelopes, or use them to start fireplace up. ANOTHER FAVORITE IS WRITING RETURN TO SENDER!!!!! Tribute to whoever wrote that song!!!!!

AMERICAN FREEDOM IS AWESOME, US IT OR LOSE IT!!!!!!!!!! :yeah:

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2012

I guess kudos for honesty? :eek:

MunoRN, RN · Mar 27, 2012

We could argue whether or not it should be, but there isn't really arguing that at some levels it is a right. EMTALA establishes emergency care as a right. Everyone, either due to age or disability eventually falls under medicare. So basically, we're willing to cover the costs of someone's healthcare, but only once it gets really expensive, prior to that it's not a right, only a privilege, apparently missing the obvious connection between treating acute conditions and preventing them in the first place.

Why we're willing to pay for someone's emergent open heart surgery, but not the much cheaper price of preventing that in the first place I have no idea. Imagine you're going loan a car to your kid going off to college. Your kid sends you the bill for the oil changes and topping off the transmission fluid, which you refuse to pay because it's not your responsibility, which means that at the end of college, you get your car back with a shot engine and transmission and in need of $10,000 in repairs, all to prove your point that you shouldn't have to pay $200 in maintenance. Welcome to American healthcare.

cstatic · Mar 28, 2012

I feel healthcare should be a right. If we value health and quality of life then we must provide healthcare when needed just as we (as a society) attempt to provide an abuse free living environment or opportunity for education. Now having said that, our healthcare system is fundamentally doomed to fail. The whole concept of insurance is that you pay a fee for coverage should "something" happen, the fee is not even close to the amount you will cost should you have "something" happen, and the insurer makes money by amassing enough fees to cover the times "something" happens and still make a profit. It is betting on favorable odds. This works with autos because while accidents happen, they don't happen often, to everyone. It works with home insurance because most people go a lifetime without having a home burn down or get sucked away in a tornado. It cannot work with healthcare because there is no "if" something happens, it is when. All humans, at some point, either by accident, illness, or age, will need healthcare. There is no way for an insurance based model to work and make a profit without routinely denying coverage. Instead of being a business, healthcare should be a social service. It should be subsidized by taxes and have tiered co-pays with higher co-pays for those who use emergency room care for non critical issues and those who skip preventative care check ups. (and smokers.) I realize nothing is owed to any person simply because we exist, but we choose as a society what issues we place importance on and how we grow. So far it seems we place the most importance upon the short term results, entertainment, and personal financial impact.

Exhaustipated, ADN, BSN · Mar 28, 2012

I think what bothers me most about the "healthcare as a right" thing is that in demanding healthcare treatment, many people seem to abdicate personal responsibility. While I agree our current healthcare system is broken, I don't believe the Affordable Health Care Act in its current incarnation is the answer.

I remember reading a social media post before the Act was passed that was the perfect example of the issue I have with it. The post was about a toddler (actually, I think the child was three or four years old) with the sniffles. The mother was trying to decide whether his condition warranted a trip to the doctor. In her post, she lamented the absence of universal healthcare, which would have made that decision moot. In other words, she was saying that since she had to pay for the doctor visit, she didn't know if her child was sick enough to need the doctor. If the healthcare were free (her words), she would have called the doctor at her child's first sniffle.

My fear with universal healthcare in the U.S. is that many people (not all) will operate under the assumption that their healthcare is everybody else's problem, clogging the system for their own minor inconveniences while making it more difficult for those who truly need help to receive it.

I believe it is my responsibility to do whatever I can to maintain my health. It is my responsibility to eat right. To exercise. To engage in healthy practices. To protect myself and my children when those around us are sick. To feed my children healthy meals and make sure they exercise. It may not be a popular opinion, but I believe healthcare is an industry. It is a business. As such, it is not a right.

brainkandy87 · Mar 28, 2012

This is not an issue of American health care. This is an issue of humanity. We humans have evolved to the point where health care should no longer be a privilege, but a right. It's a necessity, just as much as food, clothing, or shelter is.

I think what people tend to forget about health care is that preventive care also falls under the umbrella of health care. With universal coverage, we will see an increase in patients that have a PCP and go in for regular check ups. With this, we can perform more preventive care. I see so many patients in the ER that, due to cost, cannot afford regular check ups or even have a PCP. They end up in the ER with some condition that could've been prevented before it became severe enough to warrant an ER visit. We have so many tools available to us to keep someone healthy and prevent a serious illness related to a chronic condition, but sadly, so many individuals do not access these tools due to cost. Even going to a PCP to be educated can be too costly for some people.

I don't care if you're a liberal, a conservative, a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian, a Christian, or a Muslim. This should be an issue that transcends religious or political beliefs, as this is an issue that affects all of us. If you think our current system is the "right" system, I have no problem telling you that you're wrong. No one should accept the system we have now.

jestercap · Mar 28, 2012

Healthcare is definetly a business. The way it is running it will not be able to sustaine itself. The people that think it is a right, and "free" are the one's who bring their child into the ED with a fever and they had not bothered to give the kid tylenol because they didn't want to buy it. The triage line up in a day: kid with runny nose, mom didn't want to call the pediatritian and wait for an appointment. Man 20's comes in for dental pain b/c he can't afford the dentist...we don't do dental work.... the words...I CANT AFFORD tell me he is not going to pay his bill. The best one is when the mom, signs in with her kid is being seen for abdominal pain just because she developed a headache while there with son. So then there was no adult to sit with this very sick kid.

I have actually had a patient tell me that" we should hurry up, you all get paid good money cuz I got Medicaid". I very politely smiled at her and walked away...BEFORE ...i responded..."the only reason you have Medicaid is because I came to work today to pay for it!!"

Unfortuneatly some of the one's that believe healthcare is a right also think they are entitled to it...at no cost to them...at all expense to others. It all comes for a price. :madface:

stephanie2012 · Mar 28, 2012

Ok, here, from my point of view , healthcare is kind of privilege. universal healthcare would be perfect.

Actually it concerns a lot, Government, tax, revenue ....... it is a very idea situation in developed country.

tewdles, RN · Mar 28, 2012

In my mind it doesn't matter if it is a right or a privilege...it is a necessity in the modern world. All people need food, water, and shelter to survive or prosper. In the USA we also require access to health care. We cannot attend school without PE's and vaccinations. We cannot obtain employment without PE's and record of adequate health status to do the work. We must be able to demonstrate absence of communicable disease in order to travel out of the country (in many instances). When we become ill, we often must present a signed medical release to return to work. This list could go on and on with some thought. In the absence of affordable access to medical services the poor are disadvantaged in all areas of life that rub up against the health care system. Unfortunately, this affects too many of our young in the USA, and when the current law is repealed our young adults will again be at the mercy of an unaffordable system. They are our future, why don't we care if they are bankrupted by a catastrophic medical event?