I know a family in Mexico that lives on the margins of poverty. Some months ago, the mother woke up with intense pain in her abdomen.
She went to the local clinic in her small town and after a required test, it was determined that she had gallbladder stones. She was scheduled for an operation in a nearby city and had her gallbladder removed.
I remembered that I had the same medical procedure some years back and also had my gallbladder removed. The difference was that I had insurance and she did not.
In my case, my insurance provider was verified, a diagnosis completed and then the insurance company gave authorization to operate. The operation was done and I was back on the job a few days later.
Since I pay for the medical insurance that guards me against the costs of a medical procedure, it is very evident that I am paying for that privilege. Even Medicare is closely tied to the Social Security safety net that requires a mandatory monetary contribution for most working Americans.
In her case, she presented her official picture identification card that is issued by the National Electoral Institute which allows her to vote as well as verifies that she is eligible for the service. Once her identity was confirmed, the heath service system went to work to schedule her for the medical procedure.
Her positive identification as eligible almost automatically triggered a process that saw the national health service mobilize to her aid because, in her country, healthcare is a right. It is a fundamental right specifically stated in Mexican Constitution.
In its preamble, the Declaration of Independence states three goals for the individual and political future of the country: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The United States Constitution includes a “general welfare” clause in its preamble that has historically been used by Congress to justify the various social programs for the people.
But nowhere in our founding documents or their amendments is there a mention of important concepts such as worker rights, the right to an education or a right to healthcare. For the last 100 years, those issues and others have been the source of ongoing debate leading to incremental gains in such areas as Medicare adopted in 1965.
The fact is that at the moment, “the debate on whether to treat healthcare as a right or a privilege is a central issue in the US. influencing the country’s system and its high costs.” Those on the side of healthcare as a right point to the international recognition of healthcare as a human right, the ethical obligation of a nation to guarantee the health and safety of its population and the fact it affects other rights that we do enjoy.
Those that advocate healthcare more as a privilege point to its success as a market-based system and as a societal burden successfully taken on by non-profit communities. Most admit however, that this approach also creates unequal access to healthcare services.
Lately, our health system has been almost under constant attack by those in political power that accuse the system of too much spending and too little results. Principle targets are the expensive research that builds medical solutions to very serious deceases and the production of vaccines such as those that saved the country from COVID-19.
An efficient and effective healthcare system at a tolerable price is something every American can support. The question is the level of government participation toward its success.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
