Health Care: A Right or a Privilege?

The debate over Health Care in America is one of the most contemporary and important issues facing us today. Health Care, in the abstract, is the access to medicine, cures, and procedures meant to elongate and better our lives. The debate has seen rising tensions as Progressives continue to push for more government intervention and Republicans wish to unlock the potential of a free market to create a system affordable, accessible, and of sufficient quality. 

The debate has become vitriolic at times with political opponents claiming that, unless you follow their way of thinking, people will literally die.

Oh, my Goodness, I don’t want to be responsible for someone else’s death, do you? Such vitriol is, of course, counter-productive, but that doesn’t stop people, particularly Progressives, from laying the blame of another’s death at your feet unless you vote to make Health Care a government-run, socialist public service. “It is a human right to have health care,” they claim. What about being able to see a doctor is a human right? I intend to address this question.

To begin, we must first answer the question of what exactly a right is? How is a right different from a freedom? What makes a right a right? My definition of a right is something we are born with that cannot be taken away from us without just cause. I say my definition because the word “right” has been morphed and twisted in so many ways, particularly by Neo-Marxist Progressives, to basically mean things people are entitled to have and if they don’t, the government should give it to them. 

John Locke, whose political philosophies inspired our Republic, wrote that there are three basic birthrights bestowed upon us by God or Nature: Life, Liberty, and Property. Note that rights are bestowed upon us by a higher power, not by government. This is important because anything the government can bestow upon its people at will can be taken away by that same will. 

The Progressive thinkers believe that everyone should have a right to health care. What does that mean? It means that everyone should be allowed to see a doctor and gain access to medicine. Well, they can do that already. You cannot be turned away from a hospital for lack of the ability to pay for the procedures. So that right is already prevalent. 

Then what are they fighting for? They take this concept of a right a step further by saying that people have a right from being put into debt! What an incredible hypocrisy as the government is $20 trillion in debt as it is and basically everyone in this country is in some form of debt. Do we have a right to a nice house too? How about a new car? How about student debt? They would probably agree on the last one but for the others, they would say that is our decision to make. Well isn’t our health care the same thing? “NO!” they shout, “Health care is a right!” How so? 

The Progressives wish to emulate the European model of socialized medicine. 

First off– on a side note– the first use of Socialized medicine was in Germany during the Empire Era (1870-1918) when the entire German society was militarized and the point of socializing medicine was to ensure complete obedience to the state. 

Health care for all is a beautiful sentiment until you begin to look at what it looks like. In socialized medicine, it is most certainly NOT FREE! Everyone must pay for it. Take in account your medical expenditures this year. How much did you personally spend on health care services? Personally, the vast majority of my medical expenses were paying for insurance that I rarely tried to use. 

Keyword being tried, because it didn’t really help me all that much on the rare occasion I did use it 

But that is the first part of socialized medicine, the redistribution of wealth from the healthy to the ill. I would have had to pay roughly an additional 10-20% of my income (which amounts to several thousands of dollars) on something that I had no need for. But, won’t I need it as I get older and my health begins to lag? Yes, but why am I paying for something now that I am not using? Can’t I just pay for it when I need it? 

NO– you must help off-set the cost for poor people who can’t afford it! 

They can’t afford a nice, new home either; am I obligated to drop cash into that coffer as well?

 Another redistribution scheme involved in centralized health care is the redistribution of wealth from the wealthy to the poor, which is, of course, classic Marxism. These individuals who make more money should pay their fair share to society. After all, they didn’t build that business that employs other people and provides for them the opportunity to purchase health care services, including insurance, even offsetting some of the cost. Under our current law, employers HAVE TO provide insurance now for their workers. In socialized medicine, they are responsible for paying for everyone.

Why won’t Socialized Medicine work? To begin, it is the Marxist theory that cripples economies and drives investors away. The cost of implementing Socialized Medicine in the state of California alone was $400 billion. Bear in mind that is only 1 of 50 states plus 7 territories that will also be adding to that bill. Where is all this money going to come from?

Well, from tax revenues, of course! 

It’s not like we already have the highest corporate tax in the world at the moment, or like those in the upper echelon are closing in on losing half their income to the government. Surely there is more money to go around, right? This is true except that would mean less investment in businesses, less money to hire new workers, and certainly less money to give annual raises. On top of that, don’t think for a second it will just be the rich who are paying for this. Your tax rates would go up as well. That would most especially be the case for the bottom 50% of America that pay ZERO income tax. You’ll be expected to pay as well in order to make up the cost. 

What’s worse than the cost is the price control that inevitably comes with some a huge government scheme. When everyone is paying taxes and more taxes for other people’s health, the government will be expected to keep that price tag low. They will do this by cutting corners. Limiting access to certain treatments that are too expensive. 

More gruesomely, they will deny access to people altogether if they feel it isn’t a good investment. Look no further than Great Britain for my example: a young baby, Charlie Gard, was refused treatment for his ailment, which is both rare and expensive to treat. An American professor who President Trump sought advice on the situation from testified that the boy could be saved, but apparently, his chances aren’t good enough for socialized medicine to bother trying. 

Even though other people and nations, such as the Pope and President Trump, have offered to handle the treatment, the hospital refuses to allow the child to seek these treatments. Their word is final when it comes to YOUR health care needs. That is the true horror of socialized medicine. Not only have you relinquished your right, ironically, to choose treatment or not, you have relinquished almost all rights involving your personal life. 

The governments in these socialized medicine states are not above denying treatment to people because of their lifestyles. If you are overweight, or you smoke, or you don’t eat healthy, these are things that are used against you in the court of health care. No, you cannot get cancer treatment because you smoked it is your fault and we won’t treat you. To those of you who think Health care is a right, ask yourself, does the government operating health care ensure this right or further erode it?