Healthcare – a Right?

I’ve had this conversation before – and once again, I blame the Education system for not properly training and educating our population on what is a true Constitutional right.  Yup, there are those that believe that Healthcare is actually a Right – or should be.

Problem is of "obligation" – our friend Warner Todd Huston nails the basic argument (emphasis mine):

Sure, it’s “compassionate” and all to say that healthcare is a “right.” But is it? Can it BE a right? And just what is a “right” anyway?

Simply defined, a right is something that an individual can exercise (as a sovereign individual) without asking anyone’s permission. It also carries the complementary notion that in exercising that right an individual cannot obligate anyone else to participate because to obligate others to act violates their own freedom of action (summarily eliminating their freedom to refuse to act, for instance).

So, how is health care a right? After all, to exercise the “right” to health care you are necessarily obligating a doctor or other health care professional to assist you with their time and training. Therefore to exercise health care as a “right” you are forcing other people to give you care. But, since your “right” to health care forces others to act on your behalf, you are basically violating their rights to refuse to participate.

Then we get to paying for it. If health care is a “right” then you are obligating government to pay for it and by obligating government to pay for it you are necessarily obligating taxpayers to pay for it, negating their right to refuse to participate.

This means that health care cannot be a right.

Putting it another way – a Right is a solo act. A Right is exercised by an individual who may or may not be voluntarily joined in the exercise of that Right by others.  I may chose to exercise my Right to Free Speech – it does not require you to agree or to even listen.  I can practice my religion – you may not agree but it does not impinge upon you directly.  I can choose to gather with other like minded people – it does not compel you to come with me (um, except on those rare occasions that my wife wants to go shopping – face it, I’m compelled to go).

Healthcare, as Warner points out, does require actions of others of time and talent so as to satisfy MY wants or needs.  Is that right?  I believe it is Chile is one country that reports lower healthcare / capita than we do.  One reason is that legally, healthcare professionals (think doctors), are compelled to render services for 6 or so hours each week for free.

Government has taken that time away from them – no pay.  That’s servitude in my book.

Others would call it slavery.  For what else is it called when one is forced by Government to do that which there is no compensation? Sorry, mandated volunteerism doesn’t make it for me….