Our Inalienable Rights

OK, I need to weigh in on this health care debate. This morning Mark and I heard a report on NPR about a family who is self-employed and have to purchase their own health care policies. Mark pointed out that right now there is a medical scarcity problem for certain groups of people, and the family in this report exemplified this. There are two sons in the family, and the mother said that they don't skimp on medical services for their sons, but that she and her husband self-select out of some services (like regular check-ups, mammograms, etc.), because of the expense (they have a high deductible of $5200). So even though these certain services are available in general, they are limited to only those who can afford them. To top it off, then the mother also pointed out that if she or someone in her family gets very sick, the insurance company could always cancel their policy, and this was a real concern for her.

A lot of people may not like the proposed health care reform (just look at Senator Inhofe's flat dismissal), or don't like the term "socialism," but the crux of the problem for the family in the NPR story is that health care companies are out to make money. Even though we all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there is no government regulation to ensure that everyone has a healthy life. Everyone should have the right to receive medical treatment. There should be no argument about that fact, and the only focus should be how to best get results.