Who the Health Cares

Among the plethora of hot topics plaguing the political divide, healthcare is particularly poignant. Everyone seems to have an opinion and, as is often the case with political topics, only some know what they are talking about. This is not to say that the masses are incapable of comprehension, but that we often lose the forest for the trees. The general progressive inclination is that healthcare is, or should be, a right, but are they correct?

First, we must address the meaning of the word healthcare: “efforts made to maintain or restore physical, mental, or emotional well-being especially by trained and licensed professionals.”[if !supportFootnotes][1][endif] When looking at this definition, it seems quite clear that healthcare, used broadly, not only should be a right, but is a right. Going back to the idea that healthcare should be a right then seems obvious, but healthcare means much more in the political sphere. When individuals say healthcare should be a right, or is a right and should be recognized, they are generally referring to medical care specifically. They are referring to the work of doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff. They are referring to medicine. They are referring to the product of others´ labor.

Second, knowing what is meant by healthcare we must examine what is meant by right. A right is “something to which one has a just claim.”[if !supportFootnotes][2][endif] A basic principle of western civilization is self-ownership, the idea that an individual has the right to do what they please. This right, in order to be applicable to all must have a qualifier, sic utere tuo ut alienum non laedas, meaning that one should use one’s own property in such a way as not to injure the property of another. This maxim, oft quoted in nuisance law, is explanative of the fundamental check on the right of self-ownership. Realizing this and knowing what is meant by healthcare lead us to a clear answer: healthcare is not a right.

Since healthcare is not inherently a right, there is one last step: could healthcare be a privilege. A privilege is “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor.”[if !supportFootnotes][3][endif] Virtually anything can be made a privilege, including healthcare, the question now becomes one of policy. Should it?

Stay tuned for the next installment in this series. Same bat-time, same bat-channel…

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[if !supportFootnotes][1][endif] Merriam-Webster

[if !supportFootnotes][2][endif] Merriam-Webster

[if !supportFootnotes][3][endif] Merriam-Webster