Health Care is a Right, not a Privilege
I believe health care is a right and not a privilege. Medical care is an essential component in individual’s well-being. Public policies create a significant difference in the healthcare industry by creating equity and promoting the right to care (Leppo, Ollila, Peña, Wismar, and Cook, 2013). The federal government is keen to implement policies that enforce the provision of healthcare services to all citizens. For instance, the establishment and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aim at improving the access of medical services. Under the ACA, the citizens have an obligation of paying health insurance premiums. Also, employers are forced by the law to pay health care premiums for their employees (Rosenbaum, 2011). The Federal has the right to penalize the organizations that fail to adhere to the ACA provisions.
Importantly, all citizens have the right to seek medical care from different health care institutions and the medical professionals have the right to offer care. The law governs the interaction between healthcare providers and the patients; thus, a physician can face a lawsuit for negligence. Human right groups, policymakers, and government agencies assert that all citizens are entitled to medical care. This aspect supports the idea that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. For instance, APHA aims at ensuring that medical services are available to everyone. Additionally, APHA offers legislative news to the public to make sure that they understand their rights to healthcare (APHA, 2016). The CDC educates medical professionals on the public health law since healthcare and law are directly related (CDC, 2016). The healthcare providers are required learn how to offer care within the provisions of the federal law. Evidently, health is a right which is restricted according to what the citizens can afford.
References
APHA (American Public Health Association): Policy statements and advocacy (2016). Retrieved <September 2, 2016, from http://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy>
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2016, August 18). August 2016—Public health law news. Retrieved September 2, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/phlp/news/current.html
Leppo, K., Ollila, E., Peña, S., Wismar, M., & Cook, S. (2013). Health in all policies: seizing opportunities, implementing policies. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/188809/Health-in-All-Policies-final.pdf
Rosenbaum, S. (2011). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice. Public Health Rep, 126(1), 130–135.
