I just came across this video which boils down the healthcare debate rather well. No answers are provided mind you. But there is one conclusion at the end which sheds things in a different light. Here is the crux of it: Rights are protected by the government, and privileges are left up to the citizen to obtain. So, is healthcare a right, or a privilege? When someone retires, or is too poor, or becomes disabled, the government provides healthcare in the form of Medicare and Medicaid. If someone sick goes to a hospital, they cannot be refused care based on their ability to pay. Both of these existent features of our current system suggest that healthcare is indeed a right.  If that is the case, why are millions of people without healthcare in our great nation?  It is entirely possible for someone to have one kind of debilitating illness which completely ruins them financially, and for their next door neighbor to have another debilitating illness for which the government steps in and covers the entire bill.  Why is this allowed to continue?  Even though it is illegal for a hospital to refuse care to you based on your ability to pay, insurance companies are allowed to revoke coverage after they find some obscure diagnosis you have had previously even though it was not part of their application questionnaire and you have never missed a monthly payment.

I understand why there is some debate about where we should go from here.  However, one thing is clear.  Our current system is broken.  Many people will tell you that it isn’t, but they are probably not looking at this from my perspective.  I am a person who has two full time jobs in the healthcare field and I still cannot cover my family appropriately.  The last quote I received for a monthly family insurance payment for a family of three was 1.5 times what I pay for my mortgage.  So anyone who wants to keep the status quo can come get yelled at by me for a little while if they wish to continue being a selfish jack-ass.  But enough about me.

Is healthcare a right or a privilage?  Part two of the question: if it is not a right, then why are we acting like it is?

Scenario: My 60 year old grandmother who is not yet receiving Medicare benefits has a heart attack.  She is rushed to the hospital by ambulance for almost $1000.  She is diagnosed in the ER for an MI for about $2500.  She is sent to the cath lab for about $10,000-12,000.  And they tell her that she needs a CABG and a long ICU stay which puts her into the stratosphere at about $250,000.  She has had a heart attack.  Without this treatment she will die.  She is a fixed income widow without health insurance.  She is not debilitated.  She is not chronically ill.  So she is not eligible for Medicare.  She draws a pension and has a part time job so she has been turned down by Medicaid.  She is sitting in the ICU knowing that if she continues with her care she will be financially ruined and lose her house.  If she leaves the hospital, she will die.  What does she do?

A few things to consider when delving into this scenario:

1. If she was five years older, all of this would have been covered by Medicare.  Because according to the government, people over the age of 65 have a right to medical care.

2. If she was a little less responsible and had not planned for her future, she would be poor and able to receive this treatment under Medicaid.  Because according to the government, people who are indigent have a right to medical care.

3. If she were completely rich, she could afford to pay for her care outright because she is privileged.

But the fact that she is a hard working person of moderate means who planned for her retirement has made it impossible for her to afford care.  She now has the choice between death and financial ruin.  Does she have a right to this care?  Duke it out in the comments section.

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