Last night, in what might have been Brokaw’s only interesting question, he asked the candidates whether they considered health care in America to be a right, a responsibility or a privilege. Let’s assume that none of us think that "privilege" is the correct answer.
McCain answered that it was a responsibility, while Obama said it is a right. In the midst of my mind-numbingly low-brow debate-induced boredom, I didn’t give that exchange the attention it probably deserved. This morning, in the clear light of day, I had a conversation with a colleague that got me thinking about how this question gets at the heart of the larger social discussion.
He was telling me why he agreed with McCain – that health care is a responsibility. To him, that means the recipient has a duty as well as a right. And he explained it this way: his church has a policy of not turning anyone away who asks for help. Their only criteria for extending a helping hand is for the person to attend church services there. It is a social contract, not just a handout. If it is financial help they’re asking for, the parishioners want to see that they are trying to help themselves as well. I understand where he is coming from. It is a version of the argument I often hear against liberal social programs. People shouldn’t expect to get something for nothing.
That being said, my thinking is still that health care is a right – especially in a country with our abundance of not just wealth, but medical expertise, innovation, resources and cutting-edge facilities. Welfare programs fall under the heading of "responsibility" – I will agree to that without complaint. But health care should be a right shared by all – even regardless of their commitment to helping themselves. If someone’s house is burning down, firefighters don’t ask to see identification and proof of insurance (or a credit card) before they start putting out the flames – they just turn the hoses on. It isn’t a matter of comfort or even poverty versus prosperity. These are matters of life and death. Everyone has a right to life – and health – without exception.
Anyhow, that’s just something I was thinking about today. Here is a good side-by-side rundown of Obama’s and McCain’s health care proposals.
cross-posted @ Lonely Blue Boy