Should health (Or the perception of health) be a moral issue?

Question

*X posted in the politics section*

Answer 1

I think a certain standard of healh should be available to all, but I can understand that in some types of cases, scarcity, expense and experimental procedures necessitate some degree of apportionment.

Preventative measures and regular checkups should be free; they would head off many costlier issues. Our technology and economy have developed far enough where this can and should be done.

Some drug patents are renewed and modified only slightly so that their patents can be renewed; I would argue that human lives are more important than protecting drug company profits. Yes, ending this profiteering would slow down development of new drugs, but what good are innovations if no one can afford them?

Expensive procedures should not be merely the convenience of the rich; there needs to be some mechanism to ensure that there is some cross-class access to necessary procedures.

In short, I believe morally that health care is not merely a commodity, and that unequal access to health care serves as a barrier to prevent not only upward mobility, but also maintaining economic achievements one has already accumulated.

Answer 2

Personally, I believe it should be. I am tending to have less sympathy for people who are completely ignorant about diet and exercise and wonder why illness and disease strikes them. I work in a hospital and see enormous ignorant people wanting sympathy for their preventable health issues. Only we as a family can make it a moral issue, as individuals will always make up their own mind.

Answer 3

Do you mean should we feel morally obligated to keep ourselves healthy? I think, if there are others that depend on you, such as children, the answer is yes.