Introduction
The healthcare debate is ongoing, more so now than ever. At its core is a fundamental question: is healthcare a right or a privilege of the American people?
A news article I read in the LA Times compared the experiences of a married couple, both of whom needed urgent care for a similar health problem. While they were traveling in England, the wife fell ill, and as a result she went to an English hospital. Her total healthcare bill was $37; all she had to pay for was the prescription medication, despite the many diagnostic tests performed. England is on a national healthcare program that provides care for all people in the country, which to the woman’s surprise included her as a visitor. Shortly after the couple’s return …show more content…
Matthew Davis. It caught my attention not because it made the most solid argument in parallel with my opinion, but because it actually steered the healthcare debate in a different, and perhaps more important, direction.
The real argument, Dr. Davis pointed out, shouldn’t be about whether healthcare in America is a right of every citizen or a privilege for those who can afford it. Instead, “the right-vs-privilege argument actually distracts politicians, health care professionals, and the public from a more fundamental, pressing concern” (RWJF, 2013). What is this greater issue behind the healthcare debate? According to Dr. Davis, the concern is resource management and allocation. “The United States must deal with the fact that the health care workforce, facilities, and funds are available only in finite quantities,” he argues, and in addition “the U.S. population is mis-using its common resources related to health” (RWFJ, …show more content…
Even with subsidies, the problem behind the rising cost of healthcare remains. Dr. Davis blames this on a lack of government regulation. As each healthcare facility and doctor is left to construct their own protocol in regards to care, disproportionate spending (and as an extension, care) will exist. Dr. Davis suggests that government intervention in healthcare must include a restructuring of basic-care protocol built on evidence-based practices.
Right-vs-Privilege
Now to get back to the initial question of whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. Ultimately, I believe that healthcare, and not simply access to it, is a right. Do I believe that this right was originally prescribed by the Founding Fathers and embodied in the US Constitution? No. This may seem like a contradictory statement, but I will do my best to explain my position.
The US Declaration of Independence, states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Archives.gov,
The healthcare debate is ongoing, more so now than ever. At its core is a fundamental question: is healthcare a right or a privilege of the American people?
A news article I read in the LA Times compared the experiences of a married couple, both of whom needed urgent care for a similar health problem. While they were traveling in England, the wife fell ill, and as a result she went to an English hospital. Her total healthcare bill was $37; all she had to pay for was the prescription medication, despite the many diagnostic tests performed. England is on a national healthcare program that provides care for all people in the country, which to the woman’s surprise included her as a visitor. Shortly after the couple’s return …show more content…
Matthew Davis. It caught my attention not because it made the most solid argument in parallel with my opinion, but because it actually steered the healthcare debate in a different, and perhaps more important, direction.
The real argument, Dr. Davis pointed out, shouldn’t be about whether healthcare in America is a right of every citizen or a privilege for those who can afford it. Instead, “the right-vs-privilege argument actually distracts politicians, health care professionals, and the public from a more fundamental, pressing concern” (RWJF, 2013). What is this greater issue behind the healthcare debate? According to Dr. Davis, the concern is resource management and allocation. “The United States must deal with the fact that the health care workforce, facilities, and funds are available only in finite quantities,” he argues, and in addition “the U.S. population is mis-using its common resources related to health” (RWFJ, …show more content…
Even with subsidies, the problem behind the rising cost of healthcare remains. Dr. Davis blames this on a lack of government regulation. As each healthcare facility and doctor is left to construct their own protocol in regards to care, disproportionate spending (and as an extension, care) will exist. Dr. Davis suggests that government intervention in healthcare must include a restructuring of basic-care protocol built on evidence-based practices.
Right-vs-Privilege
Now to get back to the initial question of whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. Ultimately, I believe that healthcare, and not simply access to it, is a right. Do I believe that this right was originally prescribed by the Founding Fathers and embodied in the US Constitution? No. This may seem like a contradictory statement, but I will do my best to explain my position.
The US Declaration of Independence, states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Archives.gov,