Right because of... Popular Opinion, Prevention
Is Health Care a Privilege or a Right?  

If you have been driving for 20 years with no tickets, should you have to pay for the same car insurance as teenager who has been in 3 accidents this year? No, car insurance(and a drivers license) is a... (more) Health » Insurance

Options

15 votes, 25 reasons
  • Right 1st
    12
     
     
  • Privilege 2nd
    -3
     
     

Criteria what matters/how to decide

  • Costs
  • Greater Good
  • Personal Responsibility
  • Prevention
  • Societal Impact
  • Wealth Bias
Good because...
  • +4.3
    A society is the sum of its people.  When you've invested 20, 30, 40 years into an individual, aren't you maintaining your investment? (Societal Impact)
    • show 2 comments...
    • In paying for HC now, are you insuring yourself for the time when you can no longer afford it? (Maybe not a good investment for everyone) rickjr82
    • @rickjr82 ya, really just assuming "right" is govt provided blake
  • +4.3
    If you are healthy, you receive cheaper service than someone who drinks, smokes, does drugs, or eats mcdonalds every day. (Personal Responsibility)
    • show 2 comments...
    • So the guy who drives recklessly should also pay extra taxes for roads, cops, EMT, hospitals? Just because the insurance industry shares the word doesn't make it the same thing. Health is a social responsibility, just like hospitals and roads. richesh
    • There has to be a benefit for those using the system wisely- lower premiums/credits seems like a good way to go rickjr82
  • +4.0
    It would make the government focus more on preventative medicine. Keep our kids from being fat, incentivize  people to be healthy with tax breaks. (Prevention)
    • show 2 comments...
    • That's a big assumption.  If that's such a priority, why isn't it part of the plans already? blake
    • preventative medicine doesnt make anyone money...who with big pharma is getting paid if people die of natural causes? Simons182
  • +4.0
    If everyone is provided with health care, diseases and conditions may be prevented, which will decrease government spending in the long run. (Prevention)
  • +3.8
    Not giving Health care across the board will result in higher emergency costs (since emergency rooms have to accept everyone regardless of insurance) (Costs)
    • show 1 comments...
    • Our hospital costs are where a ton of the public funds for the current health care system goes. We should think about how to reduce that through a new program. ryanconnelly
  • +2.3
    It's everyone's individual responsibility to maintain their health, and reap the benefits/pay the penalties if you don't (Personal Responsibility)
    • show 3 comments...
    • Situations are different for everyone, so that isn't fair either. rickjr82
    • Genetics play a huge role in health, so even the most responsible person can't ensure their health is entirely in their hands. malujoker1
    • So, if you get cancer by no fault of your own, you are irresponsible? curiousGeorge99
  • +2.3
    If you give something to somebody for free they will not have respect for the value of it. (Societal Impact)
    • show 4 comments...
    • How does right equal to free? It just means not absurd amounts of premiums which we pay now. richesh
    • Part of the problem is that people are divorced from the true costs of this medical care. Sure I will have another test- I've already made my co-pay. rickjr82
    • Everyone thinks car insurance is too expensive until they have to use it.  Just because you pay for something doesnt mean you respect it.  I believe we all respect the value of the army, firemen, police. malujoker1
    • Which is why we need to start charging for air. Huge untapped market. Too many freeloaders. curiousGeorge99
  • +2.0
    If you can be sent to war to die, and we are willing to spend millions to "save" your life in wars, shouldn't we be willing to protect your health? (Societal Impact)
  • +2.0
    fundamentally everything in life is a privilege...there is no such thing as right. (Societal Impact)
  • +1.0
    Killing off poor people will close the wage gap. (Costs)
    • show 1 comments...
    • What a moron! Eliminate low wage earners (literally) and then pressure increases to lower wages on (new) bottom tier wage earners. Vicious cycle. curiousGeorge99
  • +0.3
    Drivers licenses and auto insurance are a privilege, should those also be a right? (Costs)
    • show 2 comments...
    • Just because they share the word "insurance" doesn't make them the same thing. If we called Health Insurance "Lifeline" then would you still compare it to auto insurance? richesh
    • Everyone has to live, not everyone has to drive rickjr82
  • (2 More)
Bad because...
  • -5.0
    Someone else has to pay for it (Costs)
  • -4.3
    If health insurance remains a privilege then the prices will continue to climb and slowly create a larger non-privileged crowd (Societal Impact)
  • -4.0
    When you remove any purchasing decisions, people will happily receive extraneous treatment.  That makes costs rise for everyone. (Costs)
    • show 2 comments...
    • ie, you get extra xrays "just to make sure everything is ok."  right now, insurance pays for it, and that already causes problems with "over-treatment" blake
    • I think there has to be some sort of regulation on what you get, but that increases cost as well. richesh
  • -4.0
    everyone gets sick in life, specially as we get older. Not being able to afford care based on health doesn't make sense after a certain age. (Personal Responsibility)
  • -3.0
    If the right is the same for people of all ages, we are not properly valuing the return on investment (ie, yrs added) for a 85 yr old vs a teenager. (Societal Impact)
  • -3.0
    If it's self paid, it means someone will fall through the cracks.  Are we willing to live with that? (Societal Impact)
  • -3.0
    We don't seem to pay police protection insurance or military protection insurance. Why should their be a "premium" for health protection? (Greater Good)
    • show 5 comments...
    • Taxes or out of pocket- either way, money is being spent rickjr82
    • Yes money is being spent on having a police service, just like having hospitals but we are not paying "insurance" on top of paying taxes, which we are doing with health care at the moment. richesh
    • You dont get a bill from the police or fire dept, like you do from a hospital, so that creates the need for a different type of model to pay for it, hence the necesity for insurance malujoker1
    • That just means that health care is under(or incorrectly)funded. rickjr82
    • To the first comment, the two options are not the same. By spreading cost of "police protection" it is very cheap. So, saying hgher taxes or out of pocket is same thing, no. One is clearly less expensive. curiousGeorge99
  • -3.0
    Only wealthy people who can afford 100 per person a month can currently pay for health care. (e.g. does not work for low income families). (Costs)
  • -2.0
    Right now ALL of the 45 million Americans without health insurance can walk into an Emergency Room and receive emergency treatment for FREE. (Greater Good)
    • show 1 comments...
    • Someone has to pay for it. What about the millions of Americans with some form of insurance who are broken financially any time something goes wrong? rickjr82
  • -1.5
    Socialist medicine marginalizes the elderly, e.g. if you are over 60 you cant receive treatment (but we will pay for assisted suicide). (Greater Good)
    • show 2 comments...
    • I haven't seen that provision in any of the bills yet. Seems like the AARP might get pissed. rickjr82
    • This is against the argument, if HC is a right, you shouldn't be able to take it away. rickjr82
  • -1.5
    How do you objectively track this in a fair manner?  Would be a logistical nightmare, right? (Societal Impact)
  • -0.7
    Of the 45 million Americans without health insurance only 10 million of them cannot afford or are not qualified for an insurance plan. (Personal Responsibility)
    • show 1 comments...
    • Just because someone is living above the poverty line, doesnt mean they can afford insurance.  I guess the 10 million that remain uninsured and the 5 million childless adults dont really want health insurance. malujoker1
  • -0.5
    Health care is not one of the "Inalienable" rights identified in the Declaration of Independence or Bill of Rights upon which our country was founded. (Societal Impact)
    • show 3 comments...
    • Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? rickjr82
    • Is protection from crime an inalienable right?  Is protection from fire?  Are having paved highways and roads rights? malujoker1
    • life, liberty, pursuit of happiness? my happiness is beer and video games....where are my beer and video games? ive been duped. Simons182
  • -0.5
    Killing off poor people is immoral. (Costs)
  • (3 More)
created by BrettJCooper