Should access to healthcare be a basic human right?

I am a vote that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. In fact I have a very hard time understanding how someone can think differently.

Red nailed it.

Yes.

You would have thought so…

“Basic healthcare” should be a right. If people want a better plan, or higher quality treatment, then they should be able to go into the free market and find what is best for them, but who cannot afford to dive into the free market should be guaranteed basic healthcare.

Health care should be a right!!!

Of course. Good treatment should not be just for the wealthy.

@buckyboy28 has the right idea.

Basic healthcare should be freely available to all but if you are not content with what is freely available you should also be free to go pay whoever you want to satisfy your perceived healthcare needs.

We in the UK have a National Health Service, which while not perfect and underfunded provides one of the best levels of free healthcare in the world. However, we are also free to go private if we so choose. One of the main problems here though is that Doctors, especially Surgeons can work for both the NHS and privately which can cause issues as often they will give the NHS work less priority as there is more money to be made privately. Like I said it’s not perfect but what in this world is?

A basic right. We should question why preventative care in the US, basic health care, isn’t as profitable as people getting sick. And no matter what socio-economic system we used, someone is going to profit.

Yep.

I’m going to say, no, access to health care is not a basic right like the right to free speech.
That being said, it is something which we are capable of providing for every man woman and child in this country (regardless of income or citizenship status) and therefore from an enlightened, humanitarian standpoint it is right to do so.
It is right, but not a right.

@breedmitch good point, I was answering the question from a first world point of view

YES most definitely and emphatically! Any government that does not give the highest priority to the health of its citizens should be collectively castrated voted out.

I’m with @RedPowerLady . We are pretty barbaric about it right now.

The way I see it, having money does not make your life more valuable or worthy than a person who doesn’t have money. As such I think it is wrong to support a healthcare system that metes out service according ones pocketbook. Intentional or not it puts a pricetag on human life. In the current American system your life is literally worth what you, or your insurance company are willing and able to spend on it. Could there be a more blatant way to point out the discrepancies between the value we place on people?

Before I read @breedmitch‘s response, I would have said “Yes, it should be a basic right.” Afterward, I’m going to agree with him. Not a right, but the right thing to do.

I think it should be a right for everyone in America, period. If that financial burden comes off the table for everyone, more money can be spent by people on their education and growing small businesses, people will have less debt to deal with, and quality of life will go up for everyone. What’s wrong with that?

Absolutely. Especially in all countries which belong to the developed world.

Why is that most people agree on this basic moral question about healthcare, but yet do not speak out? Why are many Democrats with a clear majority in Washington back-peddling on this isse? Why are’nt a million of the 40 million people without health insurance marching in D.C? The fear-mongers have succeeded once again.

People are speaking out. They are contacting their representatives and Senators. Congresspeople, OTOH are listening to the sound of insurance lobbyist dollars, and with the crisp, crinkly sound of bills in their ears, they can’t hear us.

Its funny about fearful Democrats…..I attended one of those town-hall meetings about healthcare and 90% of the ” highly vocal ” attendies were against reform in an area that voted Obama unanimously AND our elected Democrat Congressmen gave sorry , almost apologetic speeches about how they were’nt ready to commit to The Obama plan. Gotta hand it to those Republicans.

I agree with @aprilsimnel People are speaking out. It is probably simply the fact that republicans have more money to back up their viewpoint (the ones that disagree with the plan) and they are more represented in popular media.

I also full-heartedly believe access to healthcare is a right and not simply the right thing to do. I really don’t understand that argument although I support everyone’s right to believe what they wish and at least it still ends with the same result.