When it comes to healthcare, there is a drastic divide between Democratic and Republican stances
Republicans believe consumers should be able to choose their healthcare plan, and shouldn’t pay for extra benefits they don’t need. They believe in the privatization of healthcare, and that Americans should not rely on government issued healthcare.
Democrats believe healthcare should be available for all and is a fundamental human right. As our Declaration of Independence reads, there are certain unalienable truths that our country is founded on, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Americans have the right to life. Healthcare is crucial to the life of any individual, and it is imperative that our nation pass laws and regulations that benefit the everyday lives of American citizens.
Having millions of citizens without access to proper healthcare is unacceptable and distinctly un-American. Why is privatized healthcare problematic? It forces Americans to pay for premiums they cannot afford, and leaves room for citizens to have to pay more for pre-existing conditions.
According to Katrina Heuvel of the Washington Post, a new Republican healthcare bill, which turns healthcare over to the states is “the same old poison in a new bottle.”
The bill gives states the freedom to allow insurance companies to charge raised premiums for pre-existing conditions and does not require the companies to offer the core benefits which are required under current law. It also deeply affects people who require additional health benefits, such as seniors, mothers and people with disabilities.
Heuvel reported the bills which the Republican legislators are trying to pass say quite a bit about how they view and care for American citizens. “GOP legislators don’t mind that millions go without health insurance. They assume low-wage and moderate-income families should have less health-care protection than the wealthy,” Heuvel said. “You get what you can afford, and you won’t be able to afford much because you’ll have to pay the rip-offs of the private insurance companies and the obscene drug prices of the drug lobby.”
Privatizing healthcare causes a wide range of issues for those in the lower and middle classes, since it means that many Americans choose to not pay for healthcare since it is so unaffordable.
According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2017, the number of Americans that did not have health insurance was 28.0 million, which is up from 27.3 million the year before.
Millions of Americans living without health care should not be the case in a progressive, modern society. Healthcare should be viewed as a fundamental human right. As Heuvel said, healthcare should not be a “commodity that you can purchase if you can afford it.”
Republican legislators are trying to pass bills that are distinctly un-American, and allowing millions of middle and lower class citizens to suffer without health benefits. This goes against the ideals which our nation was founded on. Healthcare is a human right, and we should begin to treat it as such.
We need socialized health care to ensure that all citizens are able to live their highest quality of life possible. No American should be forced to choose between paying their medical bills or making their rent payment. Quality health care should not be viewed as a luxury that only the upper class can afford, but rather as a basic right for every American.