77% of Americans say that they think health care should be a right (40 KB) . Others argue that it is not the government's responsibility to guarantee health coverage for its citizens. The US Census Bureau reports that 46.3 million people in the US were uninsured (3 MB) in 2008, although some groups contend that this figure is inflated and misleading due to flawed methodology and the number's inclusion of undocumented immigrants and people who choose not to obtain insurance.

Many Americans say our health care system works well and that reform is not needed; however, according to a 2009 peer-reviewed study in the American Journal of Medicine, 62.1% of all US bankruptcies in 2007 were related to medical expenses (119 KB) and 78% of these bankruptcies were filed by people who had medical insurance.

1. All Americans should have a right to health care because the Declaration of Independence states that all men have the unalienable right to "Life," which entails having the health care needed to preserve life.
   
   
2. Health care is a right for all Americans because the Preamble of the US Constitution states its purpose is to "promote the general welfare" of the people. Just as all Americans have the right to an education, they should have the right to health care because they both "promote the general welfare."
   
   
3. Health care is a human right. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself and one’s family, including... medical care."
   
   
4. All Americans should have the right to health care as do citizens of other nations. The United States is one of the few, if not the only, developed nation in the world that does not guarantee health coverage for its citizens. [1]
   
   
5. Ensuring that all Americans have the right to health care will decrease health care costs by allowing people to receive regular and preventive medical care and not wait until they are chronically ill to seek treatment when medical costs are much higher.
   
   
6. Providing all citizens the right to health care is good for economic productivity. When people have access to health care, they live healthier and longer lives, thus allowing them to contribute to society for a longer time. The cost of bad health and shorter life spans of Americans suffering from uninsurance amounts to $65-130 billion annually. [2]
   
   
7. Lacking health care can lead people to suffer from anxiety, depression, sickness, and stress, and other symptoms that affect not only individuals, but families and communities of that individual as well.
   
   
8. Health care costs are unaffordable and bankrupting Americans. In 2007, 62.1% of all US bankruptcies were related to medical expenses and 78% of these bankruptcies were filed by people who had medical insurance. [3][4]
   
   
9. Guaranteeing the right to health care will encourage entrepreneurship, which is good for job creation. Currently people are afraid to start their own business for fear of losing the health insurance provided at their existing job.
   
   
10. Health care should be a right because it will promote equal opportunity by decreasing the number of people who are economically disadvantaged in society due to bad health and medically-related financial trouble.
    
    
11. Health care services are crucial to the functioning of a community, just like trash and water services, and should therefore be guaranteed like these services are to all Americans.
    
    
12. The right to health care should be considered a civil right. People should not be discriminated against for being sick. Americans who are ill should not have to make the choice between financial ruin or paying for the medical treatments they need to stay alive.
    
    
13. Coverage of all Americans would best counter or contain the spreading of epidemics such as the H1N1 flu (swine flu) or smallpox.

1. Health care should not be a right because it is inconsistent with the Declaration of Independence, which guarantees the right to "pursue" happiness, not the right to happiness or free medical services.
   
   
2. Health care should not be considered a right because the Preamble of the US Constitution states that its purpose is to "promote" the general welfare, not to provide it.
   
   
3. Health care should not be considered a right because it is not listed in the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution. The Bill of Rights lists people's rights that the government cannot infringe upon, not services or material goods that the government must ensure for the people.
   
   
4. It is the individual's responsibility, not that of the government's, to ensure personal health. Diseases and health problems, such as obesity, cancer, stroke, and diabetes can often be prevented by individuals choosing to live healthier lifestyles.
   
   
5. No one should be entitled to health care because it is a service and a material good that a person must pay for to obtain.
   
   
6. Guaranteeing everyone health care will lead to longer wait-times for patients to receive diagnoses and treatment of illnesses, as is the case in Canada and the UK, potentially denying patients with chronic diseases timely medical care. [5]
   
   
7. Providing a right to health care is socialism and is bad for economic productivity. Socialized medicine is comparable to food stamps, housing subsidies, and welfare--all of which is charity. Distributing charity to society makes people lazy, decreases the incentive for people to strive for excellence, and inhibits productivity.
   
   
8. A right to health care is unadministratable because it is too ambiguous what kind of treatment and services should be guaranteed.
   
   
9. Guaranteeing health care as a right will lead to an increase in demand for health care that will decrease the quality of care because health care professionals will be overstretched.
   
   
10. History has shown that granting health care as a right would lead to greater government deficits. Every time the government intervenes in health care, such as with Medicare and Medicaid, there is a greater redistribution of wealth and greater government spending.
    
    
11. If health care is considered a right, then government bureaucrats will be making health, life, and death decisions that should be up to the patient and doctor to decide.
    
    
12. Allowing health care coverage to be driven by the free market without government intervention increases competition and the incentive for providing higher quality medical technology and service.
    
    
13. Providing health care to everyone is a huge expense and may result in tax increases thereby futher harming the economy and individual pocketbooks.
    
    
14. Guaranteeing health care for all Americans will lead to a problem known as "moral hazard," meaning that people will take riskier actions because they know that if they get hurt, they are guaranteed health care coverage.

1. 46.3 million people (3 MB) in the United States (15.4% of the US population) did not have health insurance in 2008.
   
   
2. The US is estimated to have the highest prostate and breast cancer survival rates (1 MB) in the world.
   
   
3. 62.1% of all US bankruptcies in 2007 were related to medical expenses (119 KB) . Approximately 78% of medical bankruptcies were filed by people who had health insurance.
   
   
4. The United States is one of the few, if not the only, developed nation in the world that does not guarantee health coverage (1 MB) for its citizens.

Opponents argue that guaranteeing all Americans health care will decrease the quality and availability of health care in the United States. The US is estimated to have the highest prostate and breast cancer survival rates (1 MB) in the world. According to the 2004 Institute of Medicine (IOM) publication "Insuring America's Health: Principles and Recommendations," the US health care system is the "most responsive" in the world to nonhealth aspects of care, including patient confidentiality, consumer preference, short wait time for elective procedures, and it also ranks high in medical technology availability.

Both proponents and opponents of the debate appeal to documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights as evidence supporting whether or not all Americans should have the right to health care.

A Sep. 2009 US Census Bureau report found that 46.3 million people in the United States (15.4% of the US population) (3 MB) did not have health insurance in 2008. Some groups contend that this figure is inaccurate or misleading because it may include undocumented immigrants, the methodology may be flawed, many people eligible for insurance enrollment may have explicitly chosen not to enroll, or people enrolled in Medicare may have said they have no insurance because they have no private insurance. In 1944 the US Supreme Court ruled in United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters (322 U.S. 533) (217 KB) that insurance companies were part of interstate commerce, thus subject to federal regulation and anti-trust laws. Overriding the Supreme Court's ruling, Congress passed the McCarran-Ferguson Act (71 KB) in 1945 that has since protected insurance firms from federal prosecution for price fixing, bid rigging and carving out protected markets.

The cost of health care has become increasingly unaffordable for many working families. 62.1% of all US bankruptcies in 2007 were related to medical expenses (119 KB) and 78% of these bankruptcies were filed by people who had medical insurance. While the majority of uninsured people were from low-income households, 38.3% of the uninsured had an annual household income of at least $50,000. Since 2000, health insurance premiums have risen three times faster than wages.

Health care reform to provide universal coverage was first proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" in 1938 (192 KB) , then again by President Harry S. Truman's "Fair Deal" in 1945, by President Richard Nixon in 1971, and more recently by President Bill Clinton's administration (840 KB) in 1993. Each attempt faced staunch opposition from varying interest groups and did not result in the passage of universal health coverage legislation.

During the second presidential debate on Oct. 7, 2008 (213 KB) , US President Barack Obama, then a presidential candidate, said health care should be a "right for every American." In his June 15, 2009 speech (77 KB) delivered to the American Medical Association (AMA), President Obama stated, "Make no mistake: The cost of our health care is a threat to our economy. It is an escalating burden on our families and businesses. It is a ticking time-bomb for the federal budget. And it is unsustainable for the United States of America." He urged Congress to craft legislation that would ensure coverage for all Americans.

Surveys showed that 77% of Americans say health care should be a right (40 KB) and 57% of Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance (101 KB) . An Aug. 2009 poll showed that 86% of Americans say they think health insurance should be available to all Americans (536 KB) , although 64% opposed raising taxes to increase access to health care.

1. "I have no problem with providing healthcare for children up to 18. I voted pro healthcare but only with the proviso that it be offered like public education. After graduating high school, further education is up to the individual. So healthcare can be provided for children up to grade 12. Then basic education and healthcare have been provided. An individual now has earning capacity/potential and is responsible for providing for themselves."
   Jane, Nov. 2, 2009
   
   
2. "To put it bluntly: As an individual, I am not entitled to any more health care than I can provide for myself or that I am able to purchase from others, or that I am able to obtain freely from those who offer such free services.
   
   Reasoning? Simply because as a free and independent person, I cannot legally force -- nor may I demand my government to force any person to provide services to me if they do not desire to do so. The absolute best I might hope to attain is the assistance of government, through the courts, to enforce a contract I might legally enter into with a health care provider. This is one of the several founding ideals for the United States: independence, individual freedoms, and personal responsibility. None of these are to be forced upon another."
   Daniel, Oct. 30, 2009
   
   
3. "I don't think health care is a right any more than I think free, public education is a right. These benefits are not the same as, say, the right to vote, the right to free speech and the right to be free from unreasonable search or seizure.
   
   However, I do think providing health care, as well as education, to all of its citizens, should be among the highest values of a society... When we are sick or in need of preventative care, it should be there for us. If we don't do this for each other, what is society for? Might as well go live off by yourself in the woods. So, I see it not as a right, but definitely as a responsibility and of greatest value. What does it say about American society that so many go without?"
   Terry, nurse educator, Oct. 25, 2009
   
   
4. "'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.' --Gerald Ford
   
   Considering health care would be a positive right (the government would have to give you something--food, shelter--versus prohibiting others from taking things from you--freedom, happiness, speech), where would the limit be? Why not have the Government provide a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage? Ladies and gentlemen, this is Marxism. It does not work. Look at our public schools, DMVs, and the Postal Service; any service or product the Government touches is delivered in a highly inept manner. Do you really want the DMV doing anything with regard to your health and medical decisions?"
   Charles, Oct. 20, 2009
   
   
5. "Asking if we have the right to health care is like asking if we have the right to drink. Are we talking about clean drinking water, soda, fruit juice, fancy wine? It is a such an ambiguous concept that there is truly no easy answer. Even trying to break it down into statement like 'We all have the right to basic health care' remains purely subjective. Certainly Medicare provides well beyond 'basic health care'... and that is part of the reason it is broken. A big portion of the responsibility to good health relies on the individual. Don't smoke, don't drink, exercise, eat correctly. Until these factors are addressed, we will continue lag behind other countries."
   Luke, Oct. 13, 2009
   
   
6. "My biggest fear with everyone being 'entitled' to health care is the abuse that will occur in the system. I would be more open to the idea if there was a way to hold people responsible for their lifestyle choices (just as private insurance is more expensive if you are a smoker, etc)."
   Jeremy, Oct. 6, 2009
   
   
7. "It's not about being a 'right.' I have no right to expect someone else to provide for me. It's about banding together as a nation to extend mercy, unmerited favor to those in pain regardless how they got there. In doing so, we then have hope that the same 'forgiveness' will be extended to us should we stumble or fail along life's journey."
   Rick, Oct. 5, 2009
   
   
8. "I am against health care entitlement. Nothing in this life is 'free' and one should be left to their own free will as to how to spend their money. On the other hand, if one chooses not to purchase health care, then society should have no duty to provide it for free. You only get what you pay for."
   Alan, Sep. 29, 2009
   
   
9. "Healthcare is a good. Not every good is a right. Consider another good: food. People need food to live, but no one believes that the government is required to provide food for everyone. In a capitalist system, goods are created and distributed by the market, not by government. It's simply a misuse of rhetoric to label healthcare as a right."
   Anonymous, Sep. 24, 2009
   
   
10. "...[T]he expensive nature of health care means that there are huge consequences to grant a 'right' to health care to everyone.
    
    Medicare does this for citizens over 65 and it has accumulated unfunded liabilities of about 60 trillion over the next 75 years. This is truly unsustainable. If government could fix the Medicare bankruptcy by doing away with fraud and abuse or preventive medicine or information technology they would have already done it... Instead they propose to make the indebtedness much worse by extending a Medicare like 'public option' to many more people and invent bogus ways it will be funded. It will really be funded by raising taxes, issuing even more massive amounts of government debt, and by decreasing benefits (translation, rationing).
    
    Every bill now before Congress includes a 'panel' of experts'... to decide which treatments are of enough 'proven benefit' for the 'public option' to pay for... I do not trust any group of strangers to make such decisions for me. When your 'right' to health care will be paid for by others... then the representatives of those taxpayers will decide exactly how the money is to be spent...
    
    The truth is I have a 'right' only to as much health care as I can pay for myself..."
    Dr. W, Sep. 20, 2009

1. "I believe that Americans have the right to preventative care. Philosophically, I believe that we can argue that one of government's roles is to protect the public-- hence the military, fire department, police, etc. Thus, a case can and should be made for preventative care. Through preventative care we ensure that diseases such as N1H1 do not ravage the population. Governments role is also to protect the weak; thus I believe that we could make an argument for robust care for children under the age of 18. The foundations for long term health are laid in our childhood. Thus I support health care for all children, I also support measure to ensure a healthy lifestyle such as things which make truly healthy foods affordable. I am thinking fruits and vegetables. I believe that we can argue that a physically healthy population is key to a healthy economy."
   Julia, Dec. 18, 2008
   
   
2. "Whether or not you believe health care is a right, it makes sense fiscally to provide basic health care to all individuals. In the long run, this will cost our country far less than limiting access to health care. The sooner people can access quality health care services the healthier they will remain and, ultimately, will cost less for the government or any other health care insurer."
   Lisa, Oct. 13, 2009
   
   
3. "The United States is currently the only 'developed' nation that does not provide universal health care to it's citizens. This is only due to the greed of the insurance companies, and from the selfishness and hypocrisy of people who don't care about anyone but themselves, but claim to be 'Christians.'"
   Craig, Sep. 23, 2009

Please take our short survey and give your opinion on whether or not you think all Americans should have the right (be entitled) to health care. We'd also like to know what you think of this "micro" site. At the end of the survey, please leave us a comment for posting in our Readers' Comments section above.

Footnotes:

1. Francesca Colombo and Nicole Tapay, "Private Health Insurance in OECD Countries: The Benefits and Costs for Individuals and Health Systems," www.oecd.org, 2004
   
   
2. Board on Health Care Services (HCS) and Institute of Medicine (IOM), "Hidden Costs, Value Lost: Uninsurance in America," www.nap.edu, 2003
   
   
3. David U. Himmelstein, MD, Deborah Thorne, PhD, Elizabeth Warren, JD, and Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH, "Medical Bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: Results of a National Study," American Journal of Medicine, Aug. 2009
   
   
4. Theresa Tamkins, "Medical Bills Prompted More than 60 Percent of U.S. Bankruptcies," www.cnn.com, June 5, 2009
   
   
5. Scott Atlas, MD, "10 Surprising Facts about American Health Care," www.ncpa.org, Mar. 24, 2009
   

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