Soc 490 Journal 1

The idea of healthcare has been a heavily debated topic in the past few years. Innumerable viewpoints on how the nation’s healthcare providing services should turn around a failing system have been placed in the forefront of governmental issues. On one side of the argument, there is a viewpoint that a government run system will benefit the nation by cutting the cost of healthcare and providing much more affordable services to those who are struggling to obtain it or don’t have any insurance at all. The opposing half states that by making a universal, government run healthcare system we give too much power to the government by allowing them to choose what plan they think is right, be it better or for worse. As the status of the United States healthcare system continues to become more critical, both side recognize that a solution is necessary.

The debate about which side of healthcare reform is the best course of action to take can be boiled down to a single question. Is healthcare a right or a privilege? Being faced with this question in this week’s debate, I found myself split between the two dominating arguments. I believe that healthcare is a privilege, to a certain extent. Any contributing body to society has the right to have their own healthcare plan. They should be allowed to work to attain an insurance plan that works for them. It’s the basic concept of capitalism that drives this economy; you get what you give. By putting in the hours and hard work, you are rewarded for your efforts. However, some have to sacrifice more than others. What a universal healthcare system will do is that everyone starts out on the same level. As good as that may sound, it will destroy those who are content with the insurance and doctors they have. It will bolster the minority at the expense of the majority.

                There is only one point where I will draw the line where healthcare becomes a right. Those who should have healthcare a right are the mentally handicapped. This includes those who cannot function as a member of society by means outside of their control. I live next door to a house that is home to 5 severely mentally handicapped people who are cared for by maybe half a dozen individuals. They are completely dependent on those who take care of them. It is people like my neighbors who deserve healthcare as a right.

                Unfortunately, I’m unable to make a definitive stance on whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. There is a grey area in the matter that I simply can’t ignore. If I say that healthcare is a privilege, I will be turning my back on people like my next door neighbors. If I take the opposing stance, claiming it’s a right, I will be aligning myself with an idea that can potentially hurt the majority of the country.