Premium Essay

Health: Right or Privilege

In:

Submitted By shenite
Words 668
Pages 3
Healthcare: A Right or Privilege
Christine P.
(NOTE: SCHOOL/ FULL NAME INFO DELETED FOR PRIVACY)

November 13, 2012

Healthcare: A Right or Privilege
As I have pondered the ever hammering question of our society today, is healthcare a right or a privilege, I find that I am conflicted in making a decision to support either right or privilege.
To arrive at an understanding, I needed to define the basic terms of “right” and “privilege”. An individual’s right, as defined by our constitution, is vast and detailed yet a right to health insurance is not discussed. What I did find was a statement that reads and individual has the right “to enter into contracts, and thereby acquire contractual rights” (United States Constitution, 2012). The question of contract is raised when discussing health insurance for it is a contract between member, inurance company and providers and this is a person’s right to enter or decline such contracts. Privilege is defined as “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor” (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, 2012).
Upon reading the U.S. Constitution’s definition of right and a clarified meaning of privilege, I believe Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. There may be some confusion, such as I had, suggesting that every person be mandated to have health care coverage and this is a right rather than a privilege. With the definition set forth by the constitution, we the people have the “right” to enter into contract if we elect to, we are not forced. Privilege seems more of an award rather than a choice and each person in this country must have a choice, an affordable choice. ‘
Healthcare as a choice (right) must also have fairness. “In the United States there are over 45 million uninsured or underinsured people who by definition have restricted access to healthcare” (Papadimos, 2007). With

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Health Care Right or Privilege?

...the ages. Is Healthcare a right or a privilege? Ask 10 people and you will get 10 different answers. Some say yes some say no, however almost all have caveats to their answers. This is where the dilemma starts. As a nation, we agree that individuals should be accountable for their actions. People often argue that those who are reckless with their bodies by ingesting chemicals via cigarettes or drug use and who subsequently develop cancers shouldn’t be subsidized by others’ insurance premiums as the latter group works hard at staying healthy by exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating generous portions of fruits and vegetables. Somehow it isn’t fair. Unfortunately, life and good health aren’t quite that easy or predictable. Children who haven’t had time to abuse their bodies do develop cancers, have type 1 diabetes requiring insulin, or are born with genetic problems, like cystic fibrosis, that require expensive medical therapies that potentially are lifelong. Once diagnosed, these children are now plagued with the “pre-existing” label and unable to get health insurance. Over the past many years, the leading cause of personal bankruptcy for individuals and families is due to medical expenses. As a parent with an ill child could you simply walk away? (Get Better Health Dot Com) The Utilitarian would look at this issue from the point of view as to what was the best for the greater public. I think that they would agree that having Health Care for all would be in the...

Words: 3128 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Health Care Right or Privilege

...Health Care: Right or Privilege Stephen D Ramsey Soc. 120 introduction to ethics Instructor Donna Falloon July 4, 2011 I believe everyone should have a health care plan with good prescription copay. Many people in the United States, like me, have an excellent health care plan. With the economy the way it is, and not much new construction happening, it is almost impossible to work the two-hundred hour per quarter to keep my insurance active. Something has to be done so everyone will be entitled to a decent health care plan. Mandatory insurance is great, but what about the people that can’t afford it. The insurance companies keep raising their rates making it almost impossible to keep decent coverage on yourself and your family for those who have one. I think having insurance is more of a privilege than right to have it. The first of my five resources is The 2009 Obama and McCain debate. “Healthcare was priority number two because that broken healthcare system is bad not only for families, but its making our businesses less completive. Obama talked about giving every American a 5,000 refundable tax credit, and go out and get the health insurance you want, rather than mandates and fines for small businesses. Both Obama and McCain talked about this issue. The Liberty Guardian, by Ron Paul, “With passage of last week’s bill, the American people are now the unhappy recipients of Washington disastrous prescription for healthcare reform, the next step towards universal...

Words: 1762 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Healthcare Is a Right Not a Privalege

...```````````````````````````````Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege...

Words: 1122 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Healthcare: a Right or a Privilege

...Healthcare: A Right or a Privilege An Argument over National Healthcare in the United States Bobbi Pippins Soc 120 Instructor: Sheila Fry March 23, 2012 Healthcare: A Right or a Privilege An Argument over National Healthcare in the United States There will always be a debate over what is considered fair healthcare in America. As long as there is no national healthcare system that is equal for everyone, there will be arguments over whether it is a right or a privilege. Research will show that healthcare is a basic right for every human being in the world, and that by having a national healthcare system in America, this right can be enforced. America has, for many years, had the view of an ethical egoist, where something is good or right only if it helps to achieve the desired goal of the politicians. While using the utilitarianism view, or that which produces the best results for the greatest number, may well be the view that this nation should embrace. Healthcare should be a basic human right for everybody in the world. While national healthcare for everyone might be complicated to get started, if everyone had equal access to healthcare there would be more preventative care and therefore less costs due to chronic illnesses, diseases such as cancer, would be caught in the early stages of progression which would, in turn, allow for more treatment options and more chances of...

Words: 2241 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Healthcare Should Be Free

...Should Health Care Be Free? It is clear that health care is imperative to achieve, the issue raises when we have to decide if whether it should be free or not. According to Ted Kennedy during his speech given on Memphis, Tennessee on December 1978 pointed out that “Health Care is a Right, not a privilege” (abcnew.com, Dec). It should not be a commodity for wealthy people; it should be a basic right for all individuals, no matter age, race, ethnicity, or gender. After Kennedy’s accident in an airplane crash and having all the care possible given to a privilege person, as he was, he realized that medical care must be provided to all Americans and it should not be a limitation for those who cannot afford it. Currently in the United States, healthcare is considered a privilege, not a basic right. The Center for Economic and Social Rights states that: “Although the United States offers coverage for the very poorest Americans through Medicaid, this fails to reach millions of Americans who do not qualify as the poorest but still have far too little money to afford purchasing their own health insurance (Pies, 2011). Healthcare should be considered a civil right where Americans with less economic possibilities can still be treated by a doctor. In this case, we refer to the insured and uninsured citizens. Although lack of health insurance does not entirely prevent a patient from receiving healthcare services, it certainly makes it extremely difficult (Trotochaud, 2006). Ethically...

Words: 424 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Ethicas

...choice of comfortable superstition over logic and reason. What is the primary focus of the virtue of ethics theory? The primary focus is one’s character, especially the personal disposition to act well in various circumstances. What really guides our behavior as humans is not ultimately self-centeredness or explicit commitments to moral rules or results but rather the deep patterns of each of our personalities and behaviors. . Explain the basic concept of a right. The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered to be entitled, often held to include the rights to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression Basic rights Explain the meaning of the Equal Liberties Principle. In other words, people have the basic freedom to do whatever they want to do. The only limitation on this moral freedom is our duty to extend these same rights and freedoms to others. Our only moral duty is to avoid violating the rights of others “Everyone is entitled to as many...

Words: 2060 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Health as a Human Right

...Health as a Human Right Kathryn Dorley University of New England Health as a Human right to me is defined as a right and not a privilege. There are many Americans who struggle daily with healthcare. Nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured (Jenkins, 2008). Millions more are unable to meet their medical expenses despite having insurance (Jenkins, 2008). Research conducted in 2007 shows that in a survey 89 % of Americans agreed that healthcare should be considered a human right (Jenkins, 2008). Through college experience, work experience, and research, I have gained a better understanding overtime of Health as a Human Right. Growing up my understanding of health, was just going to the doctors and getting a checkup to see if I was “healthy”. My first experience I can remember knowing health was so much more than a simple cold was when my Grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s; I was 11. I never fully understood the disease until high school when I did my senior project on what it was and how it affected the body. At this point I assumed Health was just diseases that affected the body and could be cured with medicine or treatment. This was because I formed my parent’s opinion. Health in high school was more geared towards physical rather than mental. Freshman year in college I started to formulate my own opinions and understanding on the concept of health and how it is all encompassing. I began to learn that health was so much more than a cold and...

Words: 1443 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Healthcare Responsibility: an Economic Perspective: Is Healthcare a Right or a Privilege?

...Responsibility: An Economic Perspective Is healthcare a right or a privilege? While it’s foremost an ethical question , a practical view of the healthcare privilege quandary begs an analysis of its financial ramifications of both answers . With the out-of-pocket cost of healthcare skyrocketing year after year, , the economic question arises: Who should bear the primary responsibility of paying for healthcare, the individual or society? Many nations such as Canada provide universal healthcare to its citizenry at a cost funded by higher taxes on both earned income and regular consumption. . The answer to the question of who should pay for healthcare must take into account both the quality of life for the patient and the financial ramifications for society. It is a universal belief that all individuals deserve to experience a happy and healthy life, but to what extent is the individual responsible for their health. In examining whether the individual or society should pay for healthcare, one must consider both the well-being of the individual and the fiscal welfare of society. These elements do not stand separate, but rather are intertwined. A society is composed of individuals; the health and well-being of a society is the summation of the health and well-being of all individuals in that society. The better individuals feel, the better they can function and contribute to a society's stability and growth. When a worker is in good health, he or she can best contribute to the workplace...

Words: 1429 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Hlth400: Unit 5 Discussion Board

...Grade Received, "A" Healthcare is a privilege that is within reach of the rich, a benediction supplied strictly under the consideration of a business who hires, a government-financed insurance plan for the aged, or a generous gift supplied from the generosity of other individuals. Our Founding Fathers said that we are gifted with indispensable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is understood that for individuals to live, then we must remain healthy. However, there is very little discussion of this right in the Constitution. One particular amendment to the Constitution says that convicts are to be approved to have a right to healthcare (Healthcare: A Privilege, Not a Right, 2011). Presently, convicts are the only ones that are given the right to healthcare. If our Founding Fathers would have foreseen how important healthcare would become, it is likely that they would have allowed each and every individual to have a right to healthcare. When the Constitution was being framed, although inadequate in comparison to the present norms, healthcare was more or less attainable to all individuals. There wasn’t a large deficit of people that could not afford it or have access to it (Healthcare: A Privilege, Not a Right, 2011). Makers of the Constitution, such as Thomas Jefferson, were greatly affected from their own happenings. Thomas Jefferson was not very trusting of doctors, and instead trusted nature. Founded on a practical image of the inadequate...

Words: 567 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Ethical

...Some believe health care to be a fundamental right while others consider it a privilege. Consider how you and your family utilize health care resources. Is access to health care a fundamental right that you exercise or a privilege earned? This topic strikes a sharp chord with me. Our family has insurance thankfully. Our family utilizes preventative medicine such as immunizations, dental cleanings and monitoring, and check-ups for my children at the pediatrician. My husband also has to have yearly physicals related to his job. We are very blessed to have access to healthcare in the ways that we do. We still have to pay our copays and expensive prescription deductibles, but am very happy with the insurance we have. I think healthcare is a fundamental right. Stating that healthcare is a privilege earned is absolutely ridiculous! My father has worked at a sawmill for at least 40 years. His boss chooses not to carry insurance and never has. My mother had insurance for a while when she worked at a local factory which laid off employees three years ago. Sine then, she has not been able to find steady employment. I can tell you that my family is one of the hardest working families there is. My father has COPD, has no insurance and cannot afford to pay for his much needed inhaled corticosteroids that he needs. My mother is a diabetic who takes insulin daily, What medications or doctor visits they partake in, is strictly on their own. How is this right? I understand that...

Words: 617 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Tft2 Task 2

...Introduction The major healthcare provider in question has experienced a potential security breach within their records. They are now currently investigating how this happened and what information was access by the unauthorized individual. However, the company is now interested in established a baseline framework to avoid future information breaches from occurring. This document will outline three major IT frameworks and how each could have mitigated the recent information breach. ISO Policy The ISO 27001 recommendation is a high-level discussion. A precise policy was not located. The discussion did contain a preventive feature to denied access afterhours; however, how the afterhours check relates to a policy is not clear. The COBIT5 recommendation is a discussion and needs to develop a policy. The discussion includes auditing in general; however, details about the auditing need to be developed once a precise policy is developed. The NIST framework discussion includes review of log files. Details need to be developed about the review once a policy is developed. The three major security frameworks in the discussion are excellent overall recommendations. Precise policy statements that will prevent an identified security flaw in the scenario need to be developed. The first policy presented is ISO 27001 (International Standards Organization Security Standards). According to the ISO website, “The ISO 27000 family of standards helps organizations keep information assets secure. Using...

Words: 3049 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Healthcare and Universal Coverage

...The constitution is always brought up when discussing whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. “ If we interpreted our Constitution correctly, America was built on the principle that government exists to protect our rights that already exist, not dictate what rights we have, do not have or should have,” (Williams,2012). I do not thing that healthcare is a right or a privilege. If referring to the constitution, it states “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Our nation was built on the notion of the free market. Healthcare is provided through public and private sectors. “f we want to live out the liberties granted to us by our Founders, we should reserve our right to purchase healthcare on the free market, allowing opportunities for those to purchase at affordable rates, not by allowing healthcare controlled by bureaucrats,” (Williams, 2012). The problem comes due to our entitlement generation. I do believe that basic health needs should be given to all people. Due to constant medical and technological growth, healthcare is more expensive and more advanced. I do not think that all advanced medicine needs to be provided equally to all people. Basic healthcare needs to be identified and provided for all individuals, but the individual can purchase “luxury” healthcare at leisure. Our generation feels that they are entitled to every aspect of healthcare. The healthcare market is a business like any other and the conglomerates and insurance companies want...

Words: 862 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Journal

...Privilege, Power, and Oppression Name Institution Privilege, Power, and Oppression I am not merely an individual; I am a product of a system of privilege. This is Tim Wise's position about how the community participates in constructing an individual. His primary concern is social privilege. Maybe the privilege never favored him, and privilege made him work hard. The system of privilege shaped the direction of his life. The hardships caused by lack of privilege and the real life brought by privilege is his construction: a product of the system of privilege. He is conscious about the power and legacy of privilege in the society (Tisdell, 1993). He says that Politicians often talk about issues like housing, poverty, healthcare and education, but they rarely link them to the role that racism plays in the United States. He adds that the media often reports personal crimes while under-reporting organized and traditional discrimination. In the country, Black and Latino males are most prospective to have their cars stopped and searched for drugs. Tim’s argument regarding the color-blind perspective relates completely to the issue of the privilege system. In the system, color-blindness is treated like an inability. Talking about the realities race, oppression and white privilege make people uncomfortable. There are races that feel superior and their position oppresses the minorities. Institutional privilege and inequality exist in every society, including...

Words: 1201 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Healthcare: Right vs. Privilege

...healthcare is not defined as a right in the Bill or Rights or anywhere else in the constitution (US Constitution Online, 2010). While I believe healthcare is a privilege, I believe the government has a duty to ensure that its citizens are given the basic level of care necessary to consider them treated, whether government or citizens are paying for it. It isn’t defined as a right to Americans to have health care. In the same sense, I feel that the provisional code that states that it is the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community is where the general welfare is spoken about (AACN, 2005). After reading an article on the website, heritage.org (2010), I feel that in this day and time, the determination of who has access to health care has fallen to the government. It is directly and indirectly related. It is related because the reform mandates that everyone has insurance whether it is from the government or from an employer. Employers are having a hard time finding low-cost premiums that provide the employee with a variety of options for medical treatment. Some find it easier to just not provide insurance benefits therefore the employee has to depend on government insurance and this is where they are given their treatment options, which are usually fewer than what employer’s could typically offer the employee with better policies. According to the code of ethics, a nurse is to support the health care decision makers...

Words: 545 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Ethical Vinegette

...video the actors discuss real life cases where the Supreme Court Judge had to rule on topics such as: exceptions to confidentiality, privilege, reporting, and the duty to warn. This writer will also discuss her finding s about the statures and laws as they pertain to North Carolina and give a summary of each. Finally the writer will discuss her reflection and how she could put these to action in her counseling career. Summary The video presentation was very interesting. It allowed actors to discuss real cases to give a better understanding about Confidentiality, Privilege, Reporting, and the Duty to Warn. It gave a clear picture of how these things, though they may sound similar are quite different in many ways. The first case was about a young boy was taken to the hospital by his foster parents. He was unconscious with bruises down the spine of his back and a bruise under his eye. When the nurse questioned her about it she stated that it was from being jostled in his car seat. The nurse did not make any note of that observation nor did she call CPS to report possible abuse as she believed what she was told by the foster mother. Dominic was then brought back to the hospital four days later suffering from head trauma and then died. Nurse Brown was being charged with a crime for failure to report the abuse. It is noted that health care professionals are mandated to report suspected child abuse or they could be charged with a crime. Nurse Brown defended her position...

Words: 1311 - Pages: 6