Health Care as a Basic Human Right - Essay Example

The ACA, more commonly known as “Obamacare,” was unpopular at first but since its passage two years ago the facts about the law along with the lies perpetuated to destroy it have become more generally understood causing it to gradually gain wider acceptance. Those opposed liked the individual parts of the law including the ending of health insurance company abuses such as not accepting patients due to preexisting medical conditions, ceilings on payouts, and dropping people just because they got sick. However, they did not like the overall ideological implications. They thought, due to being misinformed, that the ACA was leading the country down a path toward socialism, not that this faction understood what the term meant. Still, they were frightened that their beloved country was being turned into something resembling the old Soviet Russian-type regime or a European style of governance. Obama had already taken the automobile industry over, so they were told, along with the financial system. They did not want America to be radically changed to a system that was unrecognizable to them. Now that the realities of the ACA are slowly surfacing the minds of at least some former opponents have been eased.

Though the ACA will cover millions of Americans and end insurance company abuse it does not go far enough. The U.S. is still the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee cradle-to-grave coverage for its citizens. It works in opposition to socialist philosophy. The individual mandate insures everyone who can afford insurance must pay on a sliding scale according to income. Forcing people to buy a service from private companies is institutionalized capitalism. Had the public option been part of the law almost everyone would have had access to health care. Another failing of the ACA is that it forbids those in the country illegally from being covered. These two aspects were conceded to opponents of the bill during early negations. Whenever an American is visiting Europe or Canada they have access to medical treatment. In America, the richest country in the world, compassion is only extended to those possessing the correct papers.

Access to health care is a basic human necessity and should be considered a basic human right. Universal health care works in other countries. They have lower health costs and no one has turned away due to lack of money. The fact that it took this long to achieve the half-step that the ACA represents speaks volumes about the type of people we are, a cold, callous, consumerist nation that values the dollar over health. Many do not want any portion of their money to help another citizen even when the system reduces costs overall. At least we, as a nation, have taken a step in the right direction with the ACA. Hopefully, universal care is the next step. Read More