Healthcare is a privilege or a right?

[oneforall57]

As a society we need to have unity. Does leaving healthcare coverage in private hand count as unity?
I watched my mother-in-law die of cancer for two years while she could not afford to be in a private club of proper health coverage. It was a nightmare to deal with!
The www.americanchristiansociety.com says it is wrong to leave healthcare in private hands...
So I guess my question is: Should healthcare coverage be a society thing or private hands?

[Goat]

As a society we need to have unity. Does leaving healthcare coverage in private hand count as unity?
I watched my mother-in-law die of cancer for two years while she could not afford to be in a private club of proper health coverage. It was a nightmare to deal with!
The www.americanchristiansociety.com says it is wrong to leave healthcare in private hands...
So I guess my question is: Should healthcare coverage be a society thing or private hands?

In my opinion.. the answer is Yes!

I think that there should be a minimal 'base' for everyone. On the other hand, that should not prohibit people who have more money or larger companies for compensation in providing better health care than the minimal. What should be covered is basic check ups, and health monitoring, a certain subset of generic drugs for things like high blood pressure, and other common chronic conditions, prenatal care, nutritional education, and check ups for children. Health care beyond the basics , or improved coverage can be purchased by individuals and/or companies.

[LiamOS]

A healthcare system should exist that can and will take care of you for free.
The ability for the rich to pay for more convenient care is acceptable, but nobody should be excluded from care/vital operations if they cannot afford it.

Ireland's great for that. Broke my wrist snowboarding last week(Yeah, in Ireland) and the only money I had to spend was on food while waiting for an X-Ray.

[TheBig Ticket]

As a society we need to have unity. Does leaving healthcare coverage in private hand count as unity?
I watched my mother-in-law die of cancer for two years while she could not afford to be in a private club of proper health coverage. It was a nightmare to deal with!
The www.americanchristiansociety.com says it is wrong to leave healthcare in private hands...
So I guess my question is: Should healthcare coverage be a society thing or private hands?

As others have already said, healthcare is a right. It is a societal responsibility to provide it for members of the society. Private healthcare is bad because it leads to huge exploitation and corruption. However, there is no reason to prevent people with the wherewithal to get better healthcare from getting it.

[ForkieUK]

As a society we need to have unity. Does leaving healthcare coverage in private hand count as unity?
I watched my mother-in-law die of cancer for two years while she could not afford to be in a private club of proper health coverage. It was a nightmare to deal with!
The www.americanchristiansociety.com says it is wrong to leave healthcare in private hands...
So I guess my question is: Should healthcare coverage be a society thing or private hands?

Health care should be social. I'm tired of people saying, "Why should I pay for other people's healthcare?". But actually, isn't "Do to others as you would have done unto you" a good standard to live by? Yes, you'll be paying for other people's healthcare, but everyone else will also be paying for YOURS.

Being in the UK, I'm lucky that I have never needed to use the healthcare system for anything serious. But should I trip and break my arm, or God forbid (figure of speech), be hit by a car I know that I will attended by an ambulance crew, rushed to hospital - by helicopter if necessary, treated right through to recovery and the cost of the treatment or whether an insurance company will approve/authorise my treatment would not even cross my mind.

Private healthcare should always be optional for people who have the money for and prefer it, but health care should be free for all, along with a police and fire service.

[Kuan]

This one question wont solve the whole issue of health care but i think it is a privilege based on one reason. Yes everyone should have health care, but we shouldnt force them to pay for it. If a certain person doesnt want health care (God help them) then they shouldnt have to pay for it. Thats why I tend to go with a privilege.

[McCulloch]

This one question won't solve the whole issue of health care but i think it is a privilege based on one reason. Yes, everyone should have health care, but we shouldn't force them to pay for it. If a certain person doesn't want health care (God help them) then they shouldn't have to pay for it. That's why I tend to go with a privilege.

Your one reason is fallacious. Take voting for example. It is the right of every citizen to vote. Thus, the state has an obligation to provide ballots, voting stations etc, at public expense. Yes, everyone should vote, but if they don't they should still have to pay for it. The same with basic health care. It should be, in my opinion, available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Yes, some will choose to not avail themselves of this right. That does not make it any less a right.

[Kuan]

This one question won't solve the whole issue of health care but i think it is a privilege based on one reason. Yes, everyone should have health care, but we shouldn't force them to pay for it. If a certain person doesn't want health care (God help them) then they shouldn't have to pay for it. That's why I tend to go with a privilege.

Your one reason is fallacious. Take voting for example. It is the right of every citizen to vote. Thus, the state has an obligation to provide ballots, voting stations etc, at public expense. Yes, everyone should vote, but if they don't they should still have to pay for it. The same with basic health care. It should be, in my opinion, available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Yes, some will choose to not avail themselves of this right. That does not make it any less a right.

This issue is very complicated. First, shouldn't we decide what makes something a right? (Your right my reason was fallacious, so now im trying to determine the truth.)

[McCulloch]

This issue is very complicated.

Sure is!

First, shouldn't we decide what makes something a right?

Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory.

This works for me. The difficulty is that we are not discussing what is a right, as defined by our respective societies, but what should be a right. I believe that society is better overall if it guarantees a certain level of basic health care to all of its members, thus recognizing it as a right. By saying that it is a privilege are you saying that our society's well being is better served without such guarantees.

You're right my reason was fallacious, so now i'm trying to determine the truth.

That is the whole goal of having debates.

[motivationalstories]

This one question wont solve the whole issue of health care but i think it is a privilege based on one reason. Yes everyone should have health care, but we shouldnt force them to pay for it. If a certain person doesnt want health care (God help them) then they shouldnt have to pay for it. Thats why I tend to go with a privilege.

This is an interesting discussion. There are people that want health care but refuse to pay for it. I worked at a place where an employee stayed on the state health care program because she could not afford to have the premiums deducted from her check. So, although a group health care plan was available, she opted out in favor of a state system.