Health insurance: a right or a privelage?

your opinion and an explanation.

i mean like in socialized health care vs. privatized.

I think we are seeing it more and more as a right of citizenship. People in other developed countries see it this way, at least a certain level of health care. In the US, if you go to an ER they are required to help you (to a certain extent) regardless of your ability to pay.

I think this is a good thing. I would make the analogy of fire protection. 100 years ago, most cities had private fire companies. You would go to a fire station and pay a 'subscription' for a year of protection. They'd give you a little plaque to put on your house. When you had a fire, you'd call them and they'd come to put your fire out, and if you didn't have a plaque they'd sell you one right there while your house was burning. Often more than one private fire company would come, and the two groups of firemen would get in a fistfight in the street while your house burned.

At a certain point, people realized that if their neighbor didn't have fire insurance, their own house was threatened when the neighbor's house burned down. So a few cities experimented with 'socialized' fire protection--seeing fire protection as a 'right of citizenship, they built fire departments owned and run by the city and funded by taxes. Surprisingly, this was not only cheaper than optional, private fire protection, but fire -insurance- rates dropped through the floor as well because the damage done by fires was much less.

Today insurance companies -rate- city fire departments and adjust their rates based on the ratings. So most city fire departments are very professional, well trained, well equipped, etc.

I think the time has come for us to look at health care this way. We pay huge amounts for emergency treatment of people without insurance--in fact for tens of millions of Americans this is the only way they can get care at all! Private insurance companies have an incentive to insure only the youngest, healthiest people, so they raise the rates on older, sicker people to keep them out of the system. The only reason we have Medicare is because private insurance companies didn't want to insure older, sicker people so the federal govt. took them on. But in fact Medicare is MUCH cheaper than private insurance, and has about the same level of 'outcomes' and of customer satisfaction. If we simply expanded Medicare to cover everyone in the country, we would save literally hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

Bottom line: We -do- see a certain level of health care as a right. Nobody bleeds to death on the steps of the Emergency Room.

A privilege.

Now, health coverage, that is a different matter. Remember, the health insurance schemes in the US can refuse to pay out at present, and if they do, the poor sucker who has paid into the system has to fund healthcare themselves.

FACT - the US spends more money per person than any other country in the world on healthcare.

FACT - while people get free emergency treatment in the USA, unlike other western countries, they do not get treatment to prevent emergency treatment such as heart attacks.

FACT - the USA has one of the highest death rates in the western world for children aged under five.

Neither, It is a product, a contract to be exact. A contract to assume risk. You should be able to buy a long term contract that suits you and your future needs. The policy should cover those costs that you would not normally expect to pay.

Just as you do not have hair-care insurance that subsidizes trims, cuts you should not expect medical insurance to coverage normal office visits and routine tests. You should put away money for your deductible and set up an HSA to save on taxes. Then you should seek by action (diet, exercise, life style) strive to stay healthy and avoid risk.

If you are so much against universal healthcare here is a propostiton.

Expose every American in jail with a neurotoxin. This will be a painless and effective way of eliminating the need to fund jails. The death penalty should be used for almost all offenses and the only people that should get food is those who qualify as "mentally sound.'

Also, in order to be educated in any school you must work during the summers or do extensive amounts of community service.

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Lol, these ideas sounds so absurd to me as people NOT getting provided help of any quality when it is needed. Low quality? Oh no, so America may be challenged! gasp, oh no a challenge!!! Many believe in alternate energy sources, why not alternate medical services? Who will provide it!!! This demand for nurses and doctors would cause an explosion in our workforce. Free Clinics could be expanded to encouraging treatment before diagnosis. There are so many opportunities availible to ensure this right.

LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

If something threatens that life, and we do nothing to protect it, we are going against our nations founding beliefs.

Thanks

It is so strange how people from other countries acquire our medicines and get our care, yet we can not help our own citizens.

you have the right and privilege to pay for your own coverage. it's called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!

I don't want to pay for people that CHOOSE not to get coverage because they don't want to spend the money. Because of them I have to pay over $700/month for an HMO (2 people) to help pay for people without coverage. It's not fair!

insurance is neither, its a product that insurance companies sell.

They use actuarials to insure that you will lose money by being insured (no different than odds at a casino)

To pass a law saying you MUST buy insurance is the insurance companies dream come true.

In a civilized western democracy of the 21st century, I believe health care should be available to every one based on their ability to pay.

Neither. You should have the choice of buying health insurance from the company of your choice, and there should be competition between insurance companies to keep the cost down.

It's neither, it's a product sold by insurance companies

It's a product that any hard working person can purchase.
and should not be provided by the government at the expense of hard working taxpayers.

It is a privelage. It is also right that countries that take care of their own are happier and live less stressful lives...

neither.

that's like asking if bananas, or motley crue t-shirts, or toyota camrys are a right or a privlege.

A privilege!!

A Product. I should not be forced to buy it if I don't want it, and/or don't need it.

Neither

It's a reward, for working.