Is healthcare a "right?"

1. It is only a "moral right" if the individual is indigent or truly unable to work. But then they would be eligible for Medicaid.if you have earned income you should pay for health care, but it should be affordable and premiums based on you gross income.

 

You have a right to life? Yes or no?

You have a right to defend your life with a firearm? Yes or no?

If you answered yes to both of the above why do you NOT have any right to have affordable healthcare and drugs in order to save your own life?

For example you have a life threatening medical condition that could be treated with a Big Pharma drug that will cost you $25,000 a month or the exact same generic drug for just $15 a month. But Big Pharma won't allow you to import the generic drug that you NEED in order to stay alive. Either you pay Big Pharma $300,000 a year or you die.

Why do you NOT have any right to the affordable alternative drug so that you can save your own life?

Why are the PROFITS of Big Pharma MORE IMPORTANT than your own life?

 

Nothing you speak of lowers costs of drugs.

As to counter questions, why not stick to what was first asked here? Do I have rights? Is it your right to force me to pay your health cost bills?

 

Until around 1989 health care costs for group insurance was
good .perhapsm not as good for incdvidual, family coverage. But at least the insurance paid for your care and the deductibles not out of site. Then came in PPO's and HMO's that were supposed to reduced costs, not foir insureds but for the insurance companies.

All that has happened since then is less regulation of insurance companies, higher out of pocket and deductibles, and less coverages of treatment and prescriptions.

It was a better system 1960-1990.

 

You don't understand the difference between a right and a privilege. People don't have to pay or give things up for a right. Letting someone have freedom of speech or religion doesn't have a price tag. Health care has a huge price tag. It is a privilege. I agree that it is a privilege that societies like ours should make available to as many as possible, but it cannot be a right.

 

How much of "free care" is due to illegals?

 

You beat me to it...but I'll add to that.

We say that 'all men are created equal'. But we know that isn't true. Two babies born - created equal. Both afflicted with the same life threatening condition. One is born to affluence, the other born to poverty. Because of the healthcare they can afford, the affluent baby's family saves their child's life. The impoverished family cannot afford the same access to life saving healthcare, and their baby dies. How can we say that they were both created as 'equals'?

When a person's wealth determines their quality of health, we have lost our way.

At present, healthcare is not a 'right'. Healthcare was provided by the barter system by many when the Constitution was written. Doctors were not the wealthiest of society, and they accepted loaves of bread or whatever a family could offer in exchange for their services. I don't believe that the Founding Fathers envisioned their country being run by greed and wealth and the corporate elite. If they had, I'm assuming they would have included an individual's health as a 'right'. Do you think they would have sided with big pharma against the need for life saving drugs by those who need it to live?

 

So making a profit out of someone’s sickness, disease and injury etc is perfectly acceptable? As is re-mortgaging or selling you’re home to pay for a heart bypass is OK is it?
The little you pay for a single payer healthcare is simply your there for those in need and they are there for you, its called humanity.

 

The question you should ask is how much less would healthcare cost if we didn't have 30 million illegals and a ton of anchor babies.

The answer is likely around 35-50%.

 

Outside of one idiot running for president no one wants to prevent you from buying insurance so that your care won't be rationed. Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand all have private care facilities also. In our society and government that our founders put together at that time and still in this time, the people with more wealth paid more taxes than people who had less. The "richer" pay more for defense, pay more for scientific investment, pay more roads pay more pay more for medical research, more of every single thing the government deems needed, . I have no more rights to my freedom from foreign invasion than the more well off but no one questions the validity that I should live less free than the well off. I think the someone else pays for something argument someone else wants is ridiculous.

And right now who pays for the health insurance we have now?. Both us and the "rich" company holders and their stockholders through their contributions to our private wage benefit packages. I have said in many posts on this board, that is not the responsibility of American Business to provide Health Insurance (which is tax deductible so it ends up being a guy who makes 50,000 a year that does not have insurance pays taxes that allow a corp to take a tax deduction for someone who does!) Nor is it their responsibility to pay 1/2 of our retirement and medicare benefits. The purpose of business should be to make money for their shareholders and only then to tax the profits of that business. We ask our businesses to fight foreign competition and pay american labor medical bills and thier retirement. That is Bullshit and why the most productive society in the world has a hard time competing with lowerr wage countries.

 

Nothing is a right that requires you take other people's property (their income from their labor), thus; violating anothers right. Healthcare is a service.

 

Well, are you sure? If you're right, why do those who live in those countries and systems have to retain additional private insurance to cover them when they really need something? That doesn't seem either more efficient or less expensive. I find your assertion baseless wishful thinking.

 

Do you have factual data backing up your claim?

 

Many services are rights that apply to anyone in the US. They CAN NOT BE DENIED TO YOU. You don't even need to be a citizen

primary education
police protection
fire protection
emergency care
a lawyer to defend you if you can not afford one
and on and on and on and on.

 

Yeah, you right wingers do seem to have fundamental problems with simple concepts like Common Law.

 

I suffer mentally because I cannot afford a Mercedes. I suffer physically because restaurants won't serve me for free. I suffer security because government will not post a policeman at my front door.

Just because you want something doesn't mean it is a right.

Healthcare is not a natural right and not enshrined in the Constitution. "Right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' is in the Declaration of Independence and an outline for a reason to revolt from an oppressive government that you now apparently support.

 

Oh look, another liberal who wants 1 unelected judge appointed for life to make laws from the bench for 330 million people.

 

None of those are rights. They are services provided by government or through force of law.

 

Much like healthcare could be a service provided (or paid for) by government or through force of law.

You can play semantics but if the government MUST provide something to EVERY American then they have a RIGHT to that service free at the point of service. But feel free to call it anything you like

 

Of course, but that does not make it a right. You apparently have no clue what rights are other than something you want for free by forcing other people to give up the fruits of their labor for.

 

You are free to call it a potato if you like. Have healthcare provided like fire service and I am fine with you calling it anything you like.

But it would be a right

 

Government doesn't pay for anything...taxpayers pay. There is no free lunch.

 

Yep. Time for single payer. The free lunch is over for the moochers

 

yes. All the evidence shows this.

they don't. they choose to.

I don't really care what you find. The facts show single payer systems get better care for a fraction of the price of our system.

 

Have you ever studied the Ninth Amendment?

When the Constitution was written in 1787, the only available means of transportation were horse and buggy and various types of boats. Why would something like healthcare be enumerated when there were so few doctors and hospitals? The government was brand new and roads were not paved. Keep things in perspective.

Today we are wealthy beyond imagination compared to when the document was written.