Healthcare in America

Healthcare in America

June 26, 2017

Alan E. Perry

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as well as several other “civil rights” are afforded by our constitution. Nowhere does it say we will all have healthcare, or for that matter pick-up trucks, big bank accounts, or a reasonable IQ.

Our lives are shaped by our circumstances and how we react and adapt to move ourselves where we want to be. Each person selects their own priorities and accepts the risk and rewards of those decisions. Some plan, make good decisions, accept responsibility and do better. Some are short sighted, irrational and blame others for their misfortune. Granted some get handed circumstances that are inherently more difficult to manage than others purely because of chance, but this is the exception.

Individual health is affected largely by personal choice. There are exceptions to this, but again this is the exception not the norm and not the subject of this discussion. That being said; there are actions individuals can take to manage certain known risk such as hypertension and diabetes. But back to the issue; individuals must accept the responsibility for their health buy treating their bodies with respect, exercising, staying physically active, eating properly, managing their known conditions and avoiding risk that are not necessary.

The assertion of the “universal healthcare” concept is that everyone has a right to exactly the same healthcare, and that those who cannot afford it will receive it at the expense of those who can. This is the definition of socialism; will it stop here? I think not. This “universal healthcare” idea provides no incentive for (in fact punishes) those who take care of themselves and make wise decisions about their body and provides reward for those who squander their own resources and health. As an example, take a 50-year-old male who has taken care of himself and has no medical problems; he used to be able to get health insurance (if he chose to get it at all) at a very reasonable rate based on his age and absence of risk factors. Another 50-year-old male, who has been reckless, excessive and generally abusive to his body and sedentary has multiple medical problems and disabled as a result. Do they both get treated fairly? The healthy one sees his insurance rates and deductibles go up and he is no longer able to save for his retirement. The unhealthy one gets free healthcare and a disability check.

In 1935 President Roosevelt and the Congress legislated the Social security act which created a financial safety net. In 1965 Medicare and Medicaid where added, Medicare provides financial assistance for healthcare to those 65 and over, Medicaid provides financial assistance for healthcare for low income families and individuals. These programs addressed the need for the elderly and the economically disadvantaged to have access to basic healthcare as a safety net, it never intended to put them on par with those who opted for more extravagant treatments and could afford them. Our government has programs to assist those who have trouble obtaining food, housing, medical care and education. It does not guarantee these. NGO’s have typically also assisted with these basic human needs, but again no guarantee.

By guaranteeing universal healthcare we are opening a very large can of parasitic worms and diminishing the value of personal accountability and self-determination. It will not take long before the authors of this malignancy begin demanding that everyone is entitled to a three-bedroom house with a garage, a new pick-up truck, free cable TV and an all-expense paid vacation semi-annually. Look closely, it’s already happening.

We live in a nation founded on the principals of personal responsibility, self-determination and respect and tolerance for those with differing views. It worked then, as it should now, because each person knew with certainty that if they worked and took responsibility for their actions they would have a much better chance of succeeding than those who choose to sit in the bars or street corners and refuse to contribute or better themselves. We raised our children to understand that if you did not become vested in your future and provide for your family there would be undesirable consequences.

As voters and taxpayers what are we to do when the numbers those receiving this ever-growing list of entitlements exceed the numbers of those paying for them. This Nation will collapse if this occurs, and it will be violent. We must find a way to get healthcare out of the corporation’s hands, out of the government’s hands, and back into the hands of the providers and the patient. We must also look at the broader problem that got us here in the first place and acknowledge that while we are all created equal, our decisions, actions and efforts will determine the amount of resources we will have as individuals and a Nation. as Thomas Jefferson put it " Free men are not equal".