If you think Healthcare is a right due to the Declaration of Independence stating life is an unalienable right

Question

As another Y!A user states......"If life is an unalienable right, then so are the resources necessary to maintain it."

Should the government pay your grocery bill? You obviously need food to maintain life.

Should the government pay your water bill? You obviously need water to maintain life.

Should the government pay for your car? You obviously need it to go to work to make money to buy food to maintain life.

Should the government pay for your house? You obviously need a roof over your head to maintain a healthy life.

Is that really what the Declaration of Independence meant when it said you have the right to Life? I think not. Otherwise, the government would've paid for people's healthcare during the founding fathers' days.

guns and broads.....we should be able to own any kind of arms the military owns - otherwise it becomes a police state as it is now - we are supposed to have the capability to defend ourselves against tyranny if we have to - you can't do that will air pistols

Answer 1

The right to life simply means the government (or anybody else) cannot kill you dead without due process or overwhelming cause. We cannot TAKE your life away. Nothing says we have to help you keep it in your own hands.

Answer 2

As posted, there is a difference between a need and a right. Also as mentioned, the government pays for food for those who can not pay for it and healthcare costs can not be compared to food costs. (And no, the government should not pay for a car as it funds public transport.)

I live in the UK and work in the NHS (our universal health care system). It has problems, but not as many as the US healthcare system has. Despite spending much more per head of population than other developed countries, the US has worse health outcomes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics Life expectancy and infant mortality figures in the US are worse than in other developed countries, despite more money being spent (and wasted) in the USA.

In the UK there are waiting lists for routine problems. Problems that can not wait are treated as emergencies. Also, in the UK, people can also have private health care.

I can understand Americans being proud of living in the richest and most powerful country in the world. What I can not understand is why Amercians settle for a more expensive healthcare system where babies die that would have a better chance of life if born in another developed country.

Beware loosing your job if you get healthcare through that. http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2167865,00.html Or retiring if you have become ill when covered by work based insurance.

Answer 3

Great Point!...there is a health care problem, in that if you have a pre-existing condition you cannot get health care, or if you can obtain it is a ridiculous price...
.////case in point...I had private insurance and had a routine screening for cholesterol...a little elevated, the doc did not put me on a cholesterol med yet my policy doubled...Now come on here...we need to have some regulations over the Insurance Big Fat Daddy!...and everyone will be able to get insurance and All will be Well.....Insurance companies are the Scourge of Society...trust me!

Answer 4

Healthcare is a necessity; not a right, nor inalienable. It is something that is attained due to modern technology--not something we are born with as is freedom.

The basic necessities we acknowledge within our current understanding are; food, shelther, clothing, and love. There was a time when love was not acknowledged and people simply did not flourish where they were living, that is the most recent development in human existance--that is what we are here to do.

The issue with healthcare is that it does require outside resources; that "burden" should never be placed on another individual for any reason, this should never create a strife between people that can be questioned later, another's health should never be compromised into a questionable or attainable product--healthcare is personal.

The issues associated with healthcare before the HMO's were in existance, acknowledged this.
HMO's developed a mode of permission from insurance agencies to acquire the care one would feel they may need--financially, and insurance company's right, because they pay? I tend to disagree, and believe that people have the autonomous right to manage their own care regardless of insurance company. HMOs should offer an alternate to managed care.

Healthcare is not a political issue; and the fact that other's healthcare has been raised for political purposes is unethical.

Should this result in a truely Universal healthcare where patients have unlimited access, and control over their own care--then it is not my place.

People have been offered caregiving insurance, as opposed to having none, and they are willing to accept this in lieu of a better plan.

The AMA has been able to advocate for certain needs in re to healthcare issues with government plans, please consider to do some research.

Answer 5

I don't think it's necessarily a right. But it is something that a civilized society should be concerned about. The fact is that most people cannot afford health insurance. And our health care system in this country is a mess. We have the best health care in the world for the wealthy. But for the poor and lower middle class - it's chaotic. Unaffordable for most and even for those whose companies provide it....those companies have difficulty competing against international companies which don't have to provide it. I believe we need at least a minimal universal health care system. And it seems the most powerful country in the world should be able to provide one. I mean...if Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, and every other civilized country in the world can provide health care - why can't we?

Answer 6

Ah....beautiful point, my friend. You have taken the words right out of my mouth.

I have the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. No more, no less.

I pay for everything. From the food I eat, to the crap that's flushed away. It's either paid for by cash out of pocket or by government funds collected from my taxes. It's all a matter of how much I want the government involved. Personally, I don't want the government to tell me what groceries to buy or what doctors I can see - I don't care, however, how they provide my water or take my crap away. Either way, I've paid for it, but it's all about the manner of providing the service or product. If you want a service or product, figure out how to pay for it - just because it comes out of taxes doesn't mean that you haven't paid for the privilege.

AVAIL - Medicaid. Medicare. Etc. We already subsidize medical care in this country. Someone still pays for it. Forcing everyone to have the same level of care as, say, a veteran in a VA hospital (if you haven't been, you might want to go) seems a little backwards.

OOH and we're guaranteed love too? BONUS!

Answer 7

The car and the house don't belong on the list. You don't need either one to survive, ordinarily. In extreme climates there are shelters provided when necessary, and I assume you approve of that... unless you're advocating death as a consequence for people who are homeless. There's also welfare services that address homelessness.

Food and water are relatively low cost, compared to medical care, and alternative sources like food banks, soup kitchens and welfare services provide food (or the means to acquire it) regularly.

If all else fails you can stand on a corner and beg enough money to feed yourself. You can't stand on a corner and beg enough money to have your rupturing appendix out, or to cover a prescription for antibiotics along with the cost of seeing a doctor. You can't beg enough to cover the cost of a series of tests needed to determine whether you have stomach cancer or an ulcer.

There is no good alternative for proper health care, and not having access to proper health care can easily result in dire consequences. Comparing health care with our need for food is comparing apples and oranges. While we need both, a shortage of one can be compensated for through various means. Shortage of the other can mean a death sentence, or a drastic deterioration in one's quality of life and long term viability.

Answer 8

The government cannot even run the military's healtcare. What makes people think the government can run civilian healthcare?

Face it , when the government gets involved in things, they go to hell in a handbag. Do people want bigger government? Thats what going to happen with government healthcare.

If government gets involved in healthcare, either premiums will skyrocket (similar to government mandating car insurance) or it will break this countries economy.

Enough of the freebies. Get a job and get some insurance.

Thanks god I had enough initiative to join and retire from the military so I can have a retirement and healthcare insurance. I suggest people do the same.

Answer 9

You're not going to win anyone over with that argument. The need for groceries won't bankrupt you. You have a choice in choosing what kind of dwelling you pay for, you have transportation choices, if you need a new kidney, it's not really a viable option to simply not have it done, or go a cheaper route. And besides, most Americans don't see it that way, they want Health Care reform, and no matter how often you tell people they're stupid for wanting it (not a winning tactic, by the way) they still want it, it's a representitive democracy and eventually, the majority will out.

Answer 10

foodstamps

the government heavily subsidizes water by it being a service provided by your local government. if it was privatized it would cost far more. what do you think it really costs pop companies to bottle that tap water that they sell for almost $2 a liter? Go ahead and mulitply your water usage even by $1 a gallon per month, and compare it to your current costs.

ever heard of public transportation? You think the government doesn't pay huge sums of money to keep them operational so the economy will keep moving?

ever heard of public housing?

So to answer your question, The government already foots the bill for everything you just mentioned, including higher costs for health care than it would cost to subsidize health insurance!