Is health care a right or a privilege?

a right

we have the right to health care, but so jobs offer it and some don't, I think the young and old should get breaks, but the working should pay for their share

to every citizen in ones country in my opinion .

It should be a choice not a tax that's crammed down our throats.

Affordable health care is a right.

I have to agree with you on that one little girl.....

And if it's not it should be.

In most cases, including this one, I don't think stating alternatives by referencing the rights/privilege distinction is a rhetorical gambit that clarifies the discussion. Whatever. I certainly don't think that health care is a right. That does not mean I'm politically unwilling to support provision of health care to those who have no means to pay for it or to subsidize care to those who can't meet all the costs of the care they want, it just means that the discussions that I think should occur in this vein should start w/o the other side waiting there seeing how I'm going to address their "rights".

A couple of other points. First, when taxpayers are subsidizing someone's healthcare, that person's ability to collect damages for medical malpractice should be proportionately different than that of the person who is paying in full for his/her own care. Secondly, I think there's a lot to be said for government run clinics dispensing care, and I'm unlikely to be overly concerned that there are likely to be waiting periods experienced in use of those clinics.

well put, and good argument...not exactly universal health care; but at least a reasonable alternative.

Health care and health insurance are always getting conflated. They are not the same thing.

Should be a right, but Americans treat it like a privilege.

You deserve as much as you can pay for.

And not just for the rich, this is America.

It should be a right or a gift that all men women and children receive the medical care they need.

Something you have to pay for yourself since the scientists, doctors, and all those other lovely people that make saving your life possible, require a wage. And who else would be responsible for that payment but the person receiving the treatment. Service, agreed.

In civilized countries national health care is a right.

You .... from the land of fifth rate health care.

Fifth rate I don't think the US does better -
"After comparing many thousand pieces of information, the WHO investigators found that the nation of France has the world's best health care. Italy, Singapore, Austria, and Japan rank close behind. Greece, the Netherlands, the U.K., Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Canada, Australia, Chile, and Dominica, among others, all outranked the U.S. The American health care system ranked 37th on the WHO's list."
37th rate!!
NHS doctors are the equal of any in the world, don't forget a lot of them work in the private sector too. And don't forget a third of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical bills. Never happens here, old bean.

And are you too stupid to know that the WHO is a statist driven bunch of third world pissheads?

OMG your;re funny!!

I'm not funny ... it's the BS from the third world pissheads that is funny.

;-)

OK

No. I think she's right. You are funny.

OK

and wrong

"and wrong" what?

you said...you're funny...I added and 'wrong'

"You're funny" and wrong? Ok, I can go with that too...

you ...from the land of 37th ranked health care....

See above ... and where do people in the world go to get the best health care in the world ... old 37.

well, not denying you have good doctors there; unfortunately your unregulated system also attracts many of our doctors and nurses to the USA for the bigger bucks; otherwise we would be up there with France and GB, no doubt and thus we're not as far up the list as we should be..c'est la vie...but, still no reason to blow dough on war at the expense of the sick. Have a good one.

????

Your medical fees should be regulated so they don't become unmanageable. Why do you apparently have no gripe with blowing the public purse on wars in countries thousands of miles away, in the name of 'human rights'; but, also are against providing your own citizenry with affordable health care?

Health care is not a valid function of government. Screwing up markets is not a valid function of government. And I am not for spending money on wars either ... let the bastards kill each other off. We could send ammo to hasten the outcome.

Why is health care not a valid function of government....yours is a government 'of and for the people is it not'?...is health care not for the people? Why would you advocate an unregulated health care system, which if allowed to bloat uncontrollably could become inaccessible to many...(are you so rich and/or uncaring of anyone but yourself?); especially if through regulation and a universal health care plan you could achieve a less expensive and equally as effective system?...
I couldn't agree more re. letting them do their blowing up, if that's their thing...why mess with it, they can have it!!

If you think the government can make health care more accessible and affordable you are a total idiot. Nothing bloats uncontrollably in a free market ... nothing ! Right now the farce has caused prices to skyrocket and services are being curtailed with "comfort care" being planned for people over 70. The people who complained are the politicians seeking relevance and power, the maggots who want more stuff for free and the jealous who aren't making what a doctor makes in income.

...you're wrong...you don't know what you;re talking about, clearly. YOU ARE and idiot....done with you.

Surely it's a right? How could it possibly be a privilege to be provided with medical assistance when it is required? That would mean we would all have to become doctors, then it could be a case of "Physician, heal thyself". Until that day dawns, we have to depend on others for such care.

Goods and services. One thing that needs to be done and soon is to revise the prescription requirement and the needle law, so that someone who has a permanent condition and knows how to take care of it (diabetes or hypertension, for example) can go to any pharmacy and buy what they need (insulin or other medications). Having to see a doctor again and again for permission to get these things is as much of a driving factor as any in the escalating cost of health care. Save the scripts for narcotics and antipsychotics - anyting with street value - that needs a regulatory regime.