Access to affordable health care is a right, not a privilege.

Background of controversy: The U.S. Congress is currently working on health care reform legislation. Some of the factors fueling the quest for reform are Americans losing their insurance coverage through loss of employment, the expense of obtaining individual, private health insurance, and pre-existing conditions and rescission used by private, for-profit insurers to deny coverage. Without insurance, health care costs are costly and out of reach for millions of Americans. Controversy exists about the best way to reform American access to health care. The media report daily about the disagreements in Congress and among citizens, opinion polls, and on the demonstrations and protests held by both advocates and opponents of reform. Do U.S. citizens deserve access to affordable health care? This leads to the argument that: PROPOSITION OF FACT: Access to affordable health care is a right, not a privilege Definitions: Right: noun; a just claim or title, whether legal, prescriptive, or moral Privilege: noun; a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most Access: noun; the ability, right, or permission to use Affordable: adjective; that can be afforded; to be within one's financial means Health: noun; soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment Catastrophic: from the noun catastrophe; a sudden and widespread disaster; a great, often sudden calamity 1)Health is a basic human need, similar to the need for food, water, and shelter. All humans need to nurture and maintain their health in order to achieve their fullest potential. Those with no access to affordable health care will die sooner from preventable ailments. Their quality of life will be diminished. Without their health, people cannot be productive members of society. Without productive citizens, the whole society suffers. If health care is limited to only those privileged enough to obtain it, or in other words, to only those who have unlimited resources to purchase it, then they have advantages beyond most others. Thus, society is split between the haves and the have-nots. As Americans, we can look to our own Declaration of Independence, which affirms the equality of all people and their rights: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men {people} are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men {people} deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…" The unalienable right to "life" is futile without one's health. U.S. Declaration of Independence: http://www.archives.gov... See Article 25: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (U.N.): http://www.un.org... 2)Preventative care, obtained through access to affordable health care programs, is cheaper in the long run and benefits the entire society. In the U.S., those who have no insurance or other form of coverage, or whose insurance company denies them care, must bear the costs of their health care on their own. Obtaining preventative care (wellness) care can become difficult to impossible due to its high cost. People will wait or put off seeing a health provider for the care of simple issues. Left untreated, simple issues can turn into bigger issues, which can lead to higher costs of care and premature death. The cost of treating catastrophic illness/disease is much greater than of taking care of one's health on a regular basis. If citizens go bankrupt due to the costs of catastrophic illnesses, the society absorbs the loss, in both monetary and human terms. See the Modern Hippocratic oath; "prevention is preferable to cure." The Modern Hippocratic Oath: http://www.pbs.org... Health Insurance and Mortality in US Adults: http://pnhp.org... 3) Access to affordable health care is not pure commerce, such as a product or commodity that is bought and sold. Human life is at stake. Do we measure the value of a human life only in dollars and cents? Access to affordable health care promotes the social welfare of a society. Our government has established other programs for protecting and promoting the social welfare of its citizens. Rights to education, police, and fire protection are in this category. The U.S. Bill of Rights also guarantees the rights and liberties of its people that are inalienable. Amendment IX of the Bill of Rights: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The U.S. Constitution: http://www.archives.gov... Bill of Rights: http://www.archives.gov...