The Observer, February 15, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 17
On the Left: Health care is a right, not a privilege
The American health care system is fundamentally flawed. Health care costs continue to rise and too many people lack even the most basic health insurance. Preventative care is often a secondary concern and we face shortages of health care professionals. There are far too many startling facts and figures to list in a column this short, but there are also ideological problems with the way our country handles health care. America treats medical care like it is a privilege for some and not a right for all. Advanced medicine has become so widespread and such a tremendous benefit to the welfare of so many that to exclude only those who cannot afford it becomes wrong. In a country as advanced and prosperous as the United States, there is no reason everyone shouldn't have access to the same great care. It's not only possible; it's a moral obligation. The first step in the long battle to reform our health care industry needs to be universal health coverage. We can no longer afford to leave people out of a basic safety net.
Plans for creating universal coverage vary from politician to politician, but there are many similarities. Each starts with a guarantee that insurance companies cannot turn away anyone because of a pre-existing condition or illness. If you change jobs or lose your job, your health insurance won't be cancelled. Those who can't afford coverage are offered subsidies to help them purchase private plans or a government-sponsored package. And an emphasis is placed on lowering costs and promoting preventative care.
All this can be done without the horror stories some conservatives will tell you about. Other countries have successfully implemented much more socialized plans than the ones currently proposed. No one is eliminating consumer choice. Insurance companies will still compete for your or your employer's business. There won't be lines for heart transplants and doctors won't suffer for pay. Instead, millions of Americans who use the emergency room as their primary care physician will have access to needed and affordable treatment. That savings in cost and suffering is worth the effort. It's not a battle for socialized medicine, but it is an effort to remove a worrisome burden from millions of your fellow citizens.
This may be a costly government endeavor, but it's one that wouldn't be possible without government. It is an instance where doing what is right should come before doing what is profitable – and yet there will still be plenty of profit to be made for insurance companies, hospitals, research labs, and health care workers. The coordination and regulation provided by the federal government is necessary to ensure all Americans, regardless of means or health, have access to something many of us take for granted. It may take the wealthiest Americans paying a little more in taxes, but consider it an investment in our whole society's well-being.
The debate over universal health care can be overwhelming, but it's sure to play a major role in this year's presidential election. The Democrats seem united in their call for universal coverage, but sadly the Republicans have yet to even acknowledge the crisis. The war over numbers and figures will be fought, but from a moral perspective, universal health coverage is a collective responsibility. Medical science has progressed so far in the past few decades. Why hasn't our ability to provide that service to the underprivileged?
