My answer is a resounding “NO!” Prior to this recent fall 2016 local and
presidential election, I was one of those naïve idealists who actually believed that everyone
in America deserved health care. I had
three reasons:
1.) First, it is necessary to maintain your
health, which falls under our inalienable right to “life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness” guaranteed to us in the Declaration of Independence;
2.) Second, it is in everyone’s economic best
interest to have broad health care coverage, both from a micro and macro
viewpoint; and
3.) Third, we
are the richest county in the world, and if other much poorer countries like
Cuba can afford to provide health care to all its citizens, we certainly should
be able to as well, if we make it a priority.
WHY I CHANGED MY MIND
The phrase “if we make it a
priority” is the caveat that changed my mind about the answer to the question
above. You can tell from the
results of the recent election that receiving good health care and possessing good
health insurance for ourselves, our families and our fellow Americans is not a
priority for the majority of Americans. Most
Americans put one or more other issues way
ahead of having access to health care.
I can’t cite and don’t even know all of the issues that were given a
higher priority, but examples are issues such as fear of a transgender in the
restroom (even though they have been there for years and we just haven’t known
it), fear of a gay married couple living next door, fear of having their guns
taken away (which was never going to happen), the importance of making a
protest vote or no vote at all to prove a political point, zealous concern
about the environment, change for change’s sake without a clue as to whether
the alternative would be better, dislike of a particular candidate, dislike of President Obama and anything even remotely associated with him, hatred of
minorities and foreigners, fear of big
government in general, not to mention just an overall apathy or too little concern
to bother to vote. All of these non-healthcare
issues seem trivial to me when compared to the threat to the physical and
financial welfare of an individual and his/her family that result from having
an accident or becoming ill without health insurance. Obviously, most Americans do not agree with me. About the only issue that veers close to the
importance of insurance coverage in its immediate effect on the health and quality of
life of us and our loved ones is the fear of a terrorist attack. The terrorist threat is frightening and is very
real, but it is much less likely statistically to afflict any one individual versus
the chances of becoming ill from any variety of diseases or accidents. Another competitive possible threat is harm due to crime such
as in the more violent neighborhoods in Chicago. But even the survivor of a terrorist attack
or a random crime will need good medical care and mental health care after the
attack. Let's remember how we let down our first responders to 911 who later became ill as a result of their heroic efforts. Let's also remember the many domestic shootings that have occurred because the shooter could not get adequate mental health care. And let us also not forget that we will all get old and frail if we are lucky, no matter what we do or believe.
DO WE DESERVE HEALTH CARE BECAUSE IT IS PART OF OUR INALIENABLE
RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS?
Is it necessary to maintain your
personal health and the health of your friends and loved ones to achieve “life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness”? I
think everyone would agree that maintaining your personal health is necessary
to maintain one’s life. While the sick
are often happy (God bless them), it is easier to be cheerful when one has good
health. I’ve never met anyone who has
ever said they would rather be sick than healthy. It is also easier to pursue other personal
and professional goals if you are in good health versus battling a physical or
mental affliction.
So, in the United States, is it
necessary to have health care insurance to maintain this good health? In America, I would say “yes” due to the way
our health care system is structured and financed. Some people may argue that you can get free
care at the emergency room if you don’t have insurance, so why pay premiums? This has been true in the past but the health
care received in the ER is more like a bandage than a fix. There are provisions in the Affordable Care
Act designed to encourage hospitals to perform post-discharge follow-up for
hospitalized patients and to financially punish hospitals when they fail to do
so. A person needs routine medical
evaluations, preventive medicine, pharmaceuticals and diagnostic procedures to remain healthy. And don’t forget about hip and knee
replacements! You won’t die without these,
our ancestors lived without them, but they certainly can improve your quality
of life.
The real reason that I think
health insurance is necessary in America to maintain good health is that EVEN
THE RICHEST AMERICANS POSSESS HEALTH INSURANCE.
(On my trips to the Mayo or Cleveland Clinic I often see rich foreign leaders
staying at the hotels and paying out of pocket for their US care.) Yet the wealthy in the US buy health
insurance even though they could easily afford to pay for their own. They
purchase it because it helps them maintain financial stability and shifts the
financial risk to the insurance companies.
If it were such a trivial matter, the wealthy would not bother. Wealthy individuals have the extra benefit
that if they do not like the treatment offered to them by the insurance
company, they can buy their own if necessary. This is
why we don’t see Congress giving up their health care. We pay for their health care while they take
ours away.
If I were to ask you, do you
accept the premise that we have an inalienable right to “life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness” as stated in the Declaration of Independence, most
Americans would answer “yes” without even giving it a thought. An argument can be made that all Americans
are entitled to health insurance because they need health insurance to have
access to health care, and they need access to health care to remain
healthy. An “inalienable” right is a
right which cannot be taken away or given away by the possessor. Ironically, that is exactly what the repeal
of the Affordable Care Act will do, take away an inalienable right from many
Americans, most of whom knew they were taking that risk when they made their
votes in the 2016 election.
DO WE DESERVE HEALTH CARE BECAUSE IT IS IN THE ECONOMIC INTERESTS OF
EVERYONE?
Prior to the Affordable Care Act,
many talented company employees with a pre-existing condition, such as a cancer
diagnosis within the past five years, or a chronic incurable condition such as
diabetes, were afraid and/or unable to move to a better job because they were
dependent on their current employer for their insurance. If they jumped to a better job, their new
employer’s insurer could declare their pre-existing condition uninsurable. As a result they
would be without insurance, and quite frankly, it just wasn’t worth it. This holds back the economy on a micro level. Likewise, those employees
that were thinking of striking out on their own and starting their own business
found it difficult, if not impossible, due to the availability of insurance and
its cost. How often has a politician
told you it is the small businesses that drive the economy? This economic
benefit on a personal level is not a priority to most Americans, as I have
stated above.
At a macro level, uninsured people
increase overall health care costs because they wait until they are seriously
ill to get treatment and go to the Emergency Room to get their care, which is
much more expensive than a routine visit to a neighborhood clinic. A healthy citizen is more likely to be a productive citizen. Addicts who cannot receive treatment will remain addicts. In addition, health care costs gobble up a
large portion of our Gross Domestic Product compared to other countries. On a macroeconomics level, this is a complex
issue that few understand. But I can
guarantee you there will always be a market and a demand for health care
because it is not a luxury item. It will
not go away, and it will always be the elephant in the room when analyzing the
competitiveness of our economy.
DO WE DESERVE HEALTH CARE BECAUSE AMERICA CAN AFFORD IT?
This argument is raised the most
frequently, and its rejection is the most puzzling to me. It is the strongest evidence I have that we,
individually and collectively, as Americans, do not value and/or prioritize
access to health care. I think
of a Latin phrase I learned in law school, “res ipsa loquitur”, which means "The
thing speaks for itself”. The mere fact
that we are the richest country in the world yet many of our citizens are not
covered is really all you need to know.
And the recent fact that many citizens voted against the recent enhancement of health
insurance coverage in the 2016 election, even when it may have been against their own
personal interest to do so, confirms my point.
NO, WE DON’T DESERVE TO HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE AND WE DESERVE IT EVEN
LESS NOW, SO PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT THE REPEAL OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT UNLESS YOU PERSONALY VOTED TO RETAIN IT!
I used to believe in health
care for everyone. Now I no longer do
because this recent vote was a repudiation of expanded health care coverage. Politicians were very clear during the
election where they stood in regards to the upcoming repeal of the Affordable Care Act. I hope the
people that are complaining at the personal level, and on social and traditional
media, voted in this past election to keep America insured. If so, I feel sorry for you and I wish you
the best. If you did not vote to retain expanded coverage, but now complain, shame on you.
You are getting what you deserve, which very well may be nothing.
