Is Health Care a Right or a Privilege?

1084 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Is healthcare a right or privilege

A sensitive topic in the United States today revolves around the issue of healthcare. Is health care a basic human right or is it just a privilege to those who are able to afford it? Health care in the United States is in desperate need of reform. The Affordable Care Act takes that stance that health care is in fact a basic human right and that everyone should have health insurance. When the term “basic human rights” is used, most people think of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This doesn’t necessarily mean that people should be forced to sustain others’ lives, or that they have the responsibility to make others happy because they have a “right” to pursue happiness. You are born with these basics rights that no one can take away. On the other hand, healthcare is something that is given to you; it costs money and is a basic need of life. We have a right to pursue and acquire healthcare, but it is not a right. In a Forbes article written by Richard Salsman he states that healthcare “It’s a valuable service provided by intelligent, hard-working professionals with years of painstaking education and training…” (Salsman 2012). Doctors and nurses are simply business people. They provide a service for those who are in need of healthcare. Just like any other service, you should have to pay to receive. Just because you have a car doesn’t mean your car insurance should pay for gas, maintenance, or to get your car washed. In order to receive the services of healthcare, you have to be willing to pay. Salsman states perfectly, “you have no “right” to take from health care providers what they’re not willing to supply” (Salsman 2012). Salsman also brings up the point that those working in the medical field are “p... ... middle of paper ... ... medical care, but in turn, taxes would most definitely go up a significant amount. For professionals, there are a couple downsides to not having health care as a right. In some cases, patients just won’t pay their medical bills either because of bankruptcy or various other reasons. If there was universal healthcare, everyone would have insurance so medical institutions would always get paid. However, since the government would control healthcare, they would control the cost of healthcare as well. As The Affordable Care Act goes into effect this year, debates over whether health care is a right will continue to occur. For some, it’s about inalienable rights, including good health. For others, it’s about the sole fact that rights don’t cost money. Rights are not something the government gives to you; rights are something that the government can never take away.

Show More
Related

  • Andrew Bradley's Argumentative Analysis: Healthcare

    1949 Words  | 4 Pages

    Healthcare in the United States is an extremely often discussed topic on whether it is morally a right or just a charity to those who cannot afford it. Plenty claim that health care is too expensive and not affordable so they demand aid from the government. On the other hand, the rest presume that the state is not morally accountable to take this type of action, since not every citizen and human being is equally eligible to receive the same healthcare.

    Read More

  • Essay On Is Healthcare A Right Or A Privilege

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    health care, only those who are “privileged” enough to afford health care can receive it. So is this what health care in the United States is and should be?Arnold Schwarzenegger the former Governor of California stated “Health care is not a right, but its cause is a government interference in the healthcare system. The solution is to leave doctors, patients and insurance companies free to deal with each other on whatever terms they choose, not to socialize American medicine” (Russo). Schwarzenegger then went on about how this would cost the government too much money and that this is not the answer to the healthcare improvement (Russo). Sen. Shelia Keuhl, the senator that wrote the bill stated in a press release “It’s important to understand that vetoes of health reform legislation have very serious consequences […] Because of these vetoes, there will continue to be very little regulation of the runaway health insurance market and no protections for consumers”

    Read More

  • Norman Daniels Views On Health Care

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the modern day, health care can be a sensitive subject. Politically, health care in America changes depending on whom is President. Obamacare and Trumpcare are different policies regarding health care, which many people have passionate feelings towards. However, not many Americans are informed about Norman Daniels’ view on health care. Throughout this paper I will be outlining Norman Daniels’ claims on the right to health care, and the fundamental principles in which he derives to construct his argument. By means of evaluating Daniels’ argument, I will then state my beliefs regarding the distributive justice of health care.

    Read More

  • Universal Health Care Ethos Pathos Logos

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    According to editorial one, universal health care is a right that every American should be able to obtain. The author provides the scenario that insurance companies reject people with preexisting conditions and that people typically wait to receive health care until it's too much of a problem due to the extreme costs. Both of these scenarios are common among Americans so the author uses those situations to appeal to the readers' emotions. Editorial one also includes logical evidence that America could follow Canada's and Europe's universal health care systems because both of those nations are excelling in it.

    Read More

  • All Americans Need Access to Health Care

    2227 Words  | 5 Pages

    America is known for democracy, freedom, and the American Dream. American citizens have the right to free speech, free press, the right to bear arms, and the right to religious freedom to name a few. The Declaration of Independence states that American citizens have the rights including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” America promises equality and freedom and the protection of their rights as outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. But with all the rights and freedoms that American citizens enjoy, there is one particular area where the United States seems to be lacking. That area is health care. The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t have some form of legal recognition of a right to health care (Yamin 1157). Health care reform in the United States has become a major controversy for politicians, health care professionals, businesses, and citizens. Those in opposition to reform claim that health care is not a human right, therefore the government should not be involved. Supporters of reform believe that health care is most definitely a human right and should be available to everyone in the United States instead of only those who can afford it, and that it is the government’s responsibility to uphold that right.

    Read More

  • Health Care Reform Implementation Of The State Of Ohio

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States (U.S.) has a health care system that is much different than any other health care system in the world (Nies & McEwen, 2015). It is frequently recognized as one with most recent technological inventions, but at the same time is often criticized for being overly expensive (Nies & McEwen, 2015). In 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.) This plan was implemented in an attempt to make preventative care more affordable and accessible for all uninsured Americans (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.). Under the law, the new Patient’s Bill of Rights gives consumers the power to be in charge of their health care choices. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Affordable Care Act

    1831 Words  | 4 Pages

    On March 23, 2010, President Barrack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into legislation. The bill was created to provide affordable and effective health care to all Americans. It has since provided tens of millions of uninsured Americans with affordable healthcare (“ObamaCare: Pros and Cons of ObamaCare”). While doing so, an estimated 31 million still remain uncovered as of 2016 (“Not ‘Everybody’ Is Covered Under ACA”). To this day, the health care plan has remained widely criticized and controversial. Many believe the Affordable Care Act has not done its duty and is unconstitutional to force healthcare upon Americans. Some of the people who share these views believe it isn’t the government’s job to provide welfare. They believe healthcare

    Read More

  • Rethinking the U.S. Health Care System: A Call for Efficiency

    1854 Words  | 4 Pages

    People who are in favor of universal health care in the U.S. use the argument that the U.S. was built upon the basic ideals, the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” and that we all have the right to at least a minimum standard of living. To deny universal health care is to deny these basic ideals and rights to the people and therefore unconstitutional. Not only is it unconstitutional, it is also immoral. It is immoral to deny people health care, allowing them to suffer and even die, just because they cannot afford it and to force people to pay so much money that they go bankrupt for a basic right. In 2007 about 62% of all U.S. bankruptcies were related to medical expenses. If the U.S. had universal health care, medical bankruptcies would no longer be an issue (Top 10 Pros & Cons). Universal health care would also be beneficial to the economy. Businesses and employers would no longer have to pay for health insurance for their employees and the government wouldn’t waste as much per capita on health care as it does now without a universal health care system. It would also allow people to be more willing to take entrepreneurial risks because they won’t fear having to go without health insurance (Why The U.S.

    Read More

  • All Americans Have a Right to Health Care

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...oral responsibility to our communities and our fellow citizens. We can’t in good conscience stand by as millions of our neighbors are denied to basic health care. Nearly 1,500 public events were taken place in all fifty states and the District of Columbia to bring commonly community leaders to retain that all Americans have rights to health care coverage. “For far too many years, our nation has not lived up to its full potential by delaying the day when all Americans will have health care coverage.” (Suffer Health Care Gaps as a Result) Health care is a right, not a privilege.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Universal Health Care System

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    A universal healthcare system is a great idea in theory, but in actuality, no one has figured out a reasonable proposal for where the money should come from. Economists claim that more than 2 trillion dollars are spent on health care each year. That’s over $6,000 per person. It would be reasonable to assume that universal health care would cause the already grand cost of health care in the United States to increase even more. The most likely outcome is that taxpayers would have to pay into a large pool from which everyone would draw for their health needs. This would create several problems. First, it would raise taxes for everyone. It would also mean, fundamentally, that many people who choose a healthy lifestyle would be required to pay the same amount as people who choose to live an unhealthy lifestyle, which hardly seems fair. Finally, a universal healthcare system could lead to huge increases in unemployment. All of the Americans who are currently employed with private insurance companies could suddenly find themselves without work. Government regulation could lead to decreased salaries for doctors. This hardly seems like a more

    Read More

  • Health Care Reform

    1541 Words  | 4 Pages

    There has been a lot of talk and debate lately over Health Care Reform, as people are trying to answer the question – Should a universally accessible health care system be implemented in the United States (US)? This ongoing highly debatable issue remains a hot topic among US citizens from all walks of life, from the very poor to the very wealthy. Health Care Reform affects everyone. The vast majority of the US population is very dissatisfied with the current state of health care. According to the ABC News and Washington Post cooperative poll, 57 percent of Americans aren’t satisfied with the overall system of health care (Langer, 2009). Consequently, the issue of the Health Care Reform was born, but before analyzing the actual aspects of this reform it will be wise to brush up on those major attitudes and concerns which occupy ordinary people and how they respond to the unfolding changes in the area of health care and social security.

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Universal Healthcare

    454 Words  | 1 Pages

    Universal health care is an on going debate that we still cannot decide whether or not to be for or against. In the article for universal healthcare states that we should use it because it is a constitutional right because citizens are granted life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. the argument against universal healthcare states that it can increase our countries debt. In conclusion if we were to have universal healthcare it could either help our country immensely or not help at all.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Universal Health Care

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    Universal health care is medical insurance provided to all the residents of a country by their government. Out of all the major industrial countries, The United States is the only country without a universal health care system. In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a health care reform law making it illegal to be uninsured in America, which is a major step towards it. Universal Health Care should be mandatory in America because it gives everyone an opportunity to receive more equal care, the overall health of the population would increase and current insurance plans are unaffordable for many Americans.

    Read More

  • Is Healthcare A Right Or A Privilege Essay

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ing in the U.S. The Affordable Care Act expands the affordability, quality, and availability of private and public health insurance through consumer protections, regulations, subsidies, taxes, insurance exchanges, and other reforms. I believe mandatory health coverage is a step in the right direction towards a future with universal health care. Although Obamacare may help americans to better afford quality health insurance, it is not a national healthcare program provided to the U.S citizens free of cost. The fact that citizens will be forced to purchase ObamaCare plans or be fined or penalized on their taxes for not doing so, further suggests that healthcare today is a priviledge not a right.

    Read More

  • Healthcare Is A Right Or A Privilege?

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we have clearly seen, medicine for profit is not solving the problems of the healthcare system and many people are going bankrupt, dying, and choosing suicide over costly bills. Maybe we should learn from all of these situations and numbers and see that, like the UK did, we should be looking at ways to expand our basic human rights to include healthcare. The question at hand was is healthcare a right or a privilege, reviewing all facts, and data given you will see that Health Care in the United States is a privilege. It seems very vile to have resources, and services to deny a person who has a curable illness or disease, because they don’t have proper health care. However, this is the society we live in where liberty and justice for all comes before healthcare for all.

    Read More

More about Is Health Care a Right or a Privilege?

Open Document