Running head: JUSTIFICATION OF US HEALTH CARE AS A RIGHT 1
Justification of US health Care as a Right
Institutional Affiliation
Date
JUSTIFICATION OF US HEALTH CARE AS A RIGHT 2
Introduction
The issue of health care has been raging for over a century in the US. The key
argument is whether every US citizen has the right to access quality, affordable and standard
health care. To answer this argument, it is essential to give an illustration of the right to
health care. Federal and state government are mandated to ensure that all citizens have access
to quality and affordable health care (Bauchner et al., 2021). Citizens are entitled to incur no
medical costs when seeking for treatment, control and prevention of various diseases. This
makes health care to be a right and not a priviledge.
During the 2008 Presidential elections, then-Senator Obama was asked about his view
on health care as right or a privilege. He asserted that all citizen should be entitled to a right
to health care. He also reiterated that there should be a cumulative contribution of all citizens
towards their medical cost. For instance, the Affordable Care Act requires private
organizations and parastatals to fund or cater to its employees' health insurance coverage
(Bauchner et al., 2021). However, other healthcare financing sources are generated from
federal expenditures mainly on health provisions, like Medicaid, Medicare and Tricare. The
Federal government provides financial assistance through Medicare to provide health
insurance to over 65 years old and disabled people. Medicaid targets low-income patients and
their families and is provided by both the federal and state governments (Maruthappu et al.,
2017). Tricare provides an insurance cover meant for retirees, military personnel, and their
dependents. These provisions are meant to provide the right for all citizens to access quality
and affordable health care.
Researchers and some members of the public agree that health care in the US is a
privilege. They base their argument on the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
data that the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized communities cannot afford insurance
JUSTIFICATION OF US HEALTH CARE AS A RIGHT 3
coverage. As a result, they succumb to various diseases that affect them. For instance, the
CDC survey revealed that 16.3% of the population, estimated to be 49.9 million people, had
no insurance coverage access (Maruthappu et al., 2017). Although there are valid facts to the
presented argument, the researcher and other public members may exercise biasness towards
the survey and gains achieved on health care.
Moreover, medical practitioners have also denied that health care is a right. Their
argument is based on the fact that the health care system was developed to deny, not support,
the right to health care. More specifically, they illustrate that the United States do not have a
framework that supports the right to health care, but only a health insurance system.
Furthermore, the health insurance system's evolution or future is filled with uncertainty (Haft
et al., 2018). For example, there is no proof on whether Medicaid or Affordable Care Act
(ACA), in future, will improve the quality and reduce the health care costs.
The Impact of the Changing Health Care Environment on Nursing
Indeed, there are so many factors that have led to the changing environment towards
nursing. Firstly, it is about home-based care. For instance, the signing of ACA into law
facilitated the formation of Accountable Care Organizations comprised of a physician,
community nurses and other support members to provide door to door health care services
(Haft et al., 2018). This changed the health care environment from hospital-based to home-
based delivery of health care services. Additionally, it is the rise of free clinics. These clinics
are meant to provide health care education and treat more than a million people in a year.
They are also meant to serve an extensive range of patients such as African Americans,
Chicanos, Indians, lone women and the poor (Bauchner et al., 2020). These patients are
classified as being isolated. As a result, most people seek a free clinic instead of visiting
health facilities like hospitals. This changes the health care system environment on medical
practitioners such as nurses.
JUSTIFICATION OF US HEALTH CARE AS A RIGHT 4
References
Bauchner, H., Fontanarosa, P. B., & Maddox, K. J. (2021). Health Care Is a Right, Not a
Privilege: A New Series on US Health Care and Health Policy. JAMA, 325(3), 227-
228.
Maruthappu, M., Ologunde, R., & Gunarajasingam, A. (2017). Is health care a right? Health
reforms in the USA and their impact on the concept of care. Annals of Medicine and
Surgery, 2(1), 15-17.
Haft, H. (2018). Is health care a right or a privilege? (Health Policy). Physician
executive, 29(1), 26-30.
Bauchner, H., & Fontanarosa, P. B. (2020). Health care is a right and not a
privilege. Jama, 323(11), 1049-1049.
