Is there a right to health care?

[el canadiano]

Originally Posted by Calvin

Wrong, only some of it goes into that black hole. The real crooks are the doctors and pharmaceutical companies. My personal view is that most medicines should be available without a prescription. Once that happens, the usefulness of the general practitioner MD will suddenly diminish substantially.

I see no valid reason why the medical profession should be subsidized through tax payer dollars. If I am sick, and I want to see a doctor, I should pay for it myself, not depend on the taxpayer to contribute.

If I want to sell my house, I go to a lawyer, and pay for the lawyer myself.

What's the difference? Seriously?

Well then could we easily get stuff that shouldn't be accessible? If anything, we should cut down on drug consumption and increase healthy food consumption. That's a much better drug.

[Ratchet]

I personally believe health care is a right. Every person should have the right to access to treatment of illness. I'm so surprised the United States did not adopt Universal Health Care earlier.

[Dirk]

Originally Posted by Ratchet

I personally believe health care is a right. Every person should have the right to access to treatment of illness. I'm so surprised the United States did not adopt Universal Health Care earlier.

I agree that healthcare should be considered a right. As a developed society, i think there is a social responsibility to care for the infirm. In that sense, I support universal healthcare.

I will address the latter part of your point and assert that the United States has not adopted universal healthcare. Neither are there any plans to implement a system of universal healthcare.

[Calvin]

Originally Posted by el canadiano

Well then could we easily get stuff that shouldn't be accessible? If anything, we should cut down on drug consumption and increase healthy food consumption. That's a much better drug.

I couldn't agree more, but even there we have big business using pesticides and other chemical agents to mass produce food. Their motivation in doing so, of course, is money. These pesticides and chemical agents, unsurprisingly, cause illness in the human body. Organic is best, but unfortunately, it is most expensive.

Still, fruits and veges, even if they aren't organic, are a better choice than processed foods.

Originally Posted by Ratchet

I personally believe health care is a right. Every person should have the right to access to treatment of illness. I'm so surprised the United States did not adopt Universal Health Care earlier.

I believe its a right too. But I do not believe it should be free. Even in Australia you have doctors who do not bulk bill and who charge an extra fee on top of the bulk bill rebate they get. This is a practice which the stupid Howard government allowed to thrive and now its here to stay.

My view is that doctors should charge what they want, patients can then choose to pay it or not. The taxpayer should be left out of the equation altogether.

Originally Posted by Dirk

I agree that healthcare should be considered a right. As a developed society, i think there is a social responsibility to care for the infirm. In that sense, I support universal healthcare.

I will address the latter part of your point and assert that the United States has not adopted universal healthcare. Neither are there any plans to implement a system of universal healthcare.

Well in Germany, as in other countries, there is a public health care system. I look with great concern at Germany, being foolish enough to bail out Greece. Everyone looks to Germany for the free handouts. Eventually even Angela will realize there is no more money left to cover all these expenses.

[Dirk]

Originally Posted by Calvin

Well in Germany, as in other countries, there is a public health care system.

There is indeed. And very good it is, too. However, I think there are better ways to implement universal healthcare than the German system.

I look with great concern at Germany, being foolish enough to bail out Greece. Everyone looks to Germany for the free handouts.

At the risk of sounding patriotic - I'm really not - I protest the collectivisation of responsibility. This was not decided by national plebiscite, Calvin. So far as I'm aware, most Germans opposed bailing out the major banks, let alone Greece. I was one of them.

Eventually even Angela will realize there is no more money left to cover all these expenses.

There is not money, as such, but you ignore the entire concept of national debt. The deficit can be made up by any of the following over an extended period of time:

*Efficiencies made in all areas of public spending
*Cutting certain major projects
*Making certain investments of public money in the economy
*Cutting public services
*Taking into full public ownership certain highly profitable industries
*Taking part-privatised industries into full public ownership

There are others I've thought of, but this is a good analysis.

Notes:

Efficiencies mean quite surgical methods of getting the same quality of results at a lower cost.

Cutting public services is something I highly disapprove of and wouldn't recommend, partly because I recognise their social value, and partly because it would ultimately cause more economic harm than it would save in the short term.

Full public ownership, as opposed to technical public ownership. This way, a greater proportion of the profits can be counted as surplus revenue.

Part-privatised industries include, for example, in Britain, the postal service, minor aspects of healthcare and military industry.