Healthcare in America

Despite being universally recognized as a human right, healthcare in America is more focused on profits than care. In 1948, healthcare was declared a Human Right by the the World Health Organization (WHO) in its Constitution, and in the United Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Though these are not legally binding, they do prove that other first world countries recognize the necessity of affordable and accessible healthcare. Specifically, Article 25 of the UDHR states:

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

The other 29 Articles also protect certain human rights, such as the right to education (Article 26) and the right to property (Article 17). To me, these seem like common sense, but in a world where money and power are king, it is necessary to establish protections for the average person. Unfortunately, in America, we tend to prioritize profits over citizens.

Despite the Ninth Amendment of the US Constitution, which states: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." This means US Citizens have additional rights, even if they are not explicitly stated. Even in 1791, the writers could comprehend that the rights explicitly listed were not all inclusive, and that as society evolves, the rights of the people should evolve comparatively. In the 1700s, "healthcare" was just the local doctor in town. Now that the Country has grown, along with science, people cannot be expected to walk down the street to Doctor Joe's house to receive care.

The only areas in which the United States recognizes it's responsibility to provide healthcare is in prisons and in the military. The latter being extremely obvious given the sacrifice for our Country, and the former because its considered inhumane to deny it. It appears we have two extremes to choose from in order to be entitled to healthcare. In a first-world country like ours, this seems a tad barbaric.

Although the private healthcare industry did help expand coverage initially, price increases and general greed within the industry have stalled coverage. By 2023, the rate of American's without health insurance fell from 16% in 2010 to 8% (26 million) due to the Affordable Care Act. This could be seen as a improvement, if the cost of health insurance was not so high. The average cost of individual coverage is $8,951 per year and $25,167 for families.

Insurance companies profit off of denying care and coverage to citizens. Despite large spending on healthcare, the US consistently ranks poorly in terms of health related issues, "...including life expectancy, preventable hospital admissions, suicide, and maternal mortality" (Schmerling, MD 2021). In the same report published by Harvard, Schmerling argues that health insurance companies restrict coverage on expensive medications, tests and other services in an attempt to reduce costs. They often require many different claims to be submitted before even considering coverage, and even then still can deny it. A survey found that 78% of doctors believe that these "hoops" required by insurance companies directly contributed to patients give up on recommended care. Over 90% of doctors also believed this caused delays in care.

Since our healthcare system operates more like a business than a public service, the combination of private and public infrastructure has contributed to the belief that healthcare is a luxury by directly tying it to money. In reality, being healthy is a luxury not everyone has, whereas healthcare is system that allows everyone to get the care they need to be healthy.

Now I am going to go over a few arguments I have heard against healthcare being a right:

"Anything that requires the labor of an another is not a right."

I recently came across this argument in regards to why healthcare should not be considered a human right. While I can agree the surface level - we are not entitled to for someone to do something for us - I cannot agree with the idea that healthcare somehow requires more labor than any other right? The right to a fair trial requires the labor of judges, court officials and lawyers. The right to education requires principals, teachers and bus drivers. The right to vote requires municipal workers. It appears this argument is futile on the basis that most, if not every right, requires labor in some form.

"Well I don't want to be paying for other people's healthcare!"

This statement is very valid, no one wants to subsidize stranger's bills. However, the problem with this belief is that it is inherently inaccurate. If you are paying for health insurance - I'm going to hold your hand when I say this - not only are you paying for other's healthcare, you are also paying for the salary of the company's CEO! Think about it, how does health insurance work? You pay your monthly fee that goes into a big pot that the company uses to pay claims AND pay employees. If healthcare was a human right and we abolished private health insurance, that money would go directly to health services, not to employees tasked with denying you care.

Both of these arguments tell me that you are probably do not fully understand rights or how these systems actually work. I want to clarify - recognizing healthcare as a human right is beneficial for others as well as you. It does not take anything away from anyone (except executives from profiting off denying care). But it does give opportunity to those who need it most. It does not give people the authority to walk into a hospital and demand to see their top neurosurgeon immediately, but it does establish the precedent that anyone should be able to see a competent and knowledgeable neurosurgeon, without excessive waiting for an appointment, excessive costs or hassling with insurance. It means that you and I can go to the doctor when we are sick without fear of receiving a huge bill. Citizens will overall, be healthier, which can reduce long term costs.

Think about it. If people were able to see a doctor whenever necessary, without the fear of excessive bills, more illness and diseases could be caught earlier, resulting in quicker diagnosis and recovery. This will allow more people to be contributing members of society. Healthcare is universally recognized as a human right. A first-world country such as the United States should be fighting for the rights of citizens, not against. If we really are the land of the free, why is a human right such as healthcare a privatized and profitable industry?

Sources:

Human Rights vs Civil Rights: https://usidhr.org/human-rights-vs-civil-rights

The National Library of Medicine states that in 2006 and 2008, over 25,000 Americans died as a result of lack of healthcare: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2323087/

Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

1. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

2. https://www.acpm.org/news/2024/the-right-to-health/#:~:text=Roosevelt%20included%20the%20right%20to,of%20Rights%20to%20the%20U.N.

US Does not recognize Healthcare as human right:

1. https://lawblogs.uc.edu/ihrlr/2024/03/03/united-states-denies-the-human-right-to-health-care/#:~:text=Healthcare%20is%20a%20human%20right,comes%20to%20recognizing%20universal%20healthcare.

2. https://harvardpublichealth.org/equity/health-care-is-a-human-right/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-our-healthcare-system-broken-202107132542

History of Healthcare in America