Healthcare should be considered a right to all of a country's citizens

Those rights outlined in the Declaration of Independence are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It seems to me that healthcare is essential to maintaining life, as well as the pursuit of happiness. Without proper healthcare, a person cannot pursue that which they desire to, much less live without worry and stress. Of course, in order to stay alive one needs some degree of healthcare, whether it be administered by oneself of a doctor. Some people can live their life brushing their teeth, taking showers, and exercising, never having the misfortune of contracting a disease or illness. Others however, are not so lucky - and this may not be through any fault of their own. Those people who eat junk food and don't exercise may be at fault, partially or completely, for their poor health, but their are millions of people around the world who are in unfortunate circumstances through no fault of their own. Take, for example, a young boy with a heart condition. His parents are poor and have no insurance for themselves or their son. The son is at absolutely no fault for his lack of funds or his poor health. With the right surgery, he could survive and live a perfectly normal life, but his parents cannot afford this for him, so he is destined to die at an undetermined time within the next few years. Should the society, although indirectly, deny the boy his rights - those of life and the ability to pursue happiness - just because they feel like they should not be responsible for the well being of others? If so, then what is the point of living in such a society - if we will not help each other, even the most vulnerable and helpless of people, the cohesiveness of that society seems a waste. There are some who will say a government should exist simply to protect its citizens by enforcing the law, and the rest should be left to the citizens. There are more and less extreme versions of this sentiment, but in any form it assumes that life is not a right its citizens possess. I find this to be abhorrent - to deny people the potential of a long and happy life because they don't have the funds to afford surgery or healthcare. Life is not fair, but should we not attempt to "even the playing field" so that we may hope to achieve some semblance of fairness? Life is not something we should let slip by because of a lack of money. Regardless of a moral interest in preserving people's well being and life, there is clearly a monetary gain to be had from guaranteeing healthcare. Those countries who have implemented universal healthcare pay drastically less on all forms of healthcare than those countries who primarily use the free market for healthcare. It is cheaper, in some cases, to fly to another country, have a surgery performed, and fly back, than it is to have that surgery performed in America, even with health insurance. Companies who sell medical supplies are overcharging their customers simply because they can, and this hurts both those consumers and the overall economy. Those consumers have less money to spend in other areas, whether it be buying cars or going bowling, because such a large portion of their income must be put towards their healthcare, without which they would die or experience an abhorrent decrease in the quality of their life. Lack of insurance is clearly a factor in determining one's health, especially later in life. It may seem expensive to use the taxpayer's money to guarantee healthcare, but in the long run it is much cheaper than letting unhealthy people suffer and, in many cases, die.. As an example, take a person who is developing cancer. They can only afford cheaper medicine, and therefore get lower quality care. Because of this, they must keep returning for care. Although the original medicine may have been cheaper, their recurring costs are far above that of the original, higher quality medicine that would have likely resolved the issue immediately. This is the case with many people, especially Americans. They are very unhealthy, and cannot afford high quality care, so they have to scrape together what they can to keep themselves alive. Over time, the money spent on these services accumulate to incredible amounts, and accomplishes nothing but keeping them alive with a low quality of life. Overall cheaper and more effective services may be available, but without the ability to pay the upfront cost, people are stuck in what is, quite frankly, a shitty situation. Shitty health insurance, shitty healthcare, and a shitty life - and in the end, it costs everyone more money, time, and effort. It is a waste. I have not yet delved into bankruptcies to do medical costs. These bankruptcies are extremely harmful to the economy, and they are only one example of the way a lack of healthcare or poor healthcare can end up costing tremendous amounts. Some point out, rightfully, that this kind of healthcare access could increase the wait time for certain medical services. Unfortunately, I see this as the better of two evils - will we have people die and receive awful healthcare because they are poor, and let the rich have the high quality healthcare, or will we have a more fair, albeit still awful, system for this kind of medical wait? Roughly 40,000 people die each year in America from lack of healthcare, but far fewer people die from being stuck on waiting lists. Government control is not always, and usually is not, a good thing for the general public. But healthcare, as demonstrated by other countries, is clearly in its best form when guaranteed to its citizens by the government. Private healthcare produces more evils than I could list on a sheet of paper 10 miles long. All industrialized countries have the ability to give this to their citizens, and it is time that they start to do so.