Reflective Essay 2
Andrew Day
Help Received: As cited
I guess I have always been very fortunate to have good health and decent
health insurance to ensure that I stay healthy. It is easy to take things like this for
granted especially coming from a middle class family in America. However, millions
of people go without healthcare in the United States every day. With the recent
introduction of “the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” or ObamaCare, the
idea of healthcare as a human right has been brought to the forefront of American
politics and culture. Many people have many different views on this matter and both
make very good arguments.
The article “Healthcare Is Not a Human Right” details the argument against
healthcare as a human right. Many people agree with the argument this author
presents, that is because healthcare is funded by the taxes of the citizens and
therefore causes them to participate that healthcare is not a right. This differs from
things such as property rights, which do not require any action on behalf of other
citizens, but rather restricts them from acting against these rights. However,
supporting this argument does not mean one is necessarily against federal
healthcare, it simply means that they do not believe it is a human right. On the
contrary many people believe that the federal government should be more involved
in the healthcare system and that healthcare should be more affordable and
available because it is the right thing to do and would bring about the most utility
from the most citizens and not because it is a human right.
These articles and many others like it have brought to my attention the
complexity and sensitivity of this issue. There is so much to consider. Is healthcare
really a right of all human beings? Or is it a capability, which is indicative of a
modern, advanced society but not necessarily a right? What are the shortcomings of
the current system and how can they be solved to create the greatest benefit for the
most people? Most of all I realize the hardships that many people face because of
their lack of health insurance, and realize now that weather or not it is a right or a
capability or whatever we decide to call it something needs to be done.
Works Cited
Vidal, Gabriel. Healthcare Is Not a Human Right. The Libertarian Standard. Accessed
November 9, 2015.