Don't left it to the free market
One thing is for sure, the free market is an excellent method to distribute commodities. This is where the conservatives & libertarians in USA screwed up. There are so many things that are so fundamental that nobody sane regard it as "just a commodity."
For starters, no one proposes to disband the US arm forces to reduce the deficit. Why? Because every American knows that THEY CAN'T LET THE FREE MARKET DECIDE THEIR SECURITY!!
Here is another thing that anybody glad the state totally prohibit it: SLAVERY. Hey, you can argue that "prohibition of slavery only create slavery black market!" or "I don't trust those politicians to handle slavery!" and so on. But not even the most die-hard libertarian argue like that. Why? Because humans ARE NOT COMMODITIES!
Universal Health Care
That bring us to (universal) health care. Can we left health care to the free market?
Nope.
Because health is DIRECTLY about human life. IT IS a very fundamental thing that a human need to survive. How dare you refuse to threat a dying man!! I thought we already agree that life is sacred, that human life is not commodity? End of discussion.
What? You are not convinced yet? Here is the philosophical argument, that includes even non-life threatening health-care.
For starters, no one proposes to disband the US arm forces to reduce the deficit. Why? Because every American knows that THEY CAN'T LET THE FREE MARKET DECIDE THEIR SECURITY!!
Here is another thing that anybody glad the state totally prohibit it: SLAVERY. Hey, you can argue that "prohibition of slavery only create slavery black market!" or "I don't trust those politicians to handle slavery!" and so on. But not even the most die-hard libertarian argue like that. Why? Because humans ARE NOT COMMODITIES!
Universal Health Care
That bring us to (universal) health care. Can we left health care to the free market?
Nope.
Because health is DIRECTLY about human life. IT IS a very fundamental thing that a human need to survive. How dare you refuse to threat a dying man!! I thought we already agree that life is sacred, that human life is not commodity? End of discussion.
What? You are not convinced yet? Here is the philosophical argument, that includes even non-life threatening health-care.
The right is VERY BIG on equality of chance/opportunity. I agree with them. Give everyone the same shot. The problem is, NOT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME CHANCE! Some people were born poor. Some people were born rich. Some people were born genetically perfect, while others prone to diabetes, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, heart attack, and so many other disease. To level their chances, we need to pool our resources and make sure EVERYONE has the same chance to compete. Hey, success is hard to achieve, why you refuse to eliminate one of the biggest and most common handicap: the difficulty to finance health?
Maybe you still dislike it because that argument is basically about "justice" or "equality." Let me put it this way, if we already know that we have already pay our healthcare with our taxes, you have MORE FREEDOM to choose whatever you like. Want to open a restaurant but afraid that you don't have enough money to pay for your expensive asthma medications? Not anymore, you already pay it. Eager to go to Disneyland but you need to pay for your insulin? Nope, you are free to go since you already pay your insulin. Etc.
In essence, this is not a choice between freedom or equality. Universal health care is for both freedom and equality. Universal Health care is a right for every human being, not a commodity. Now time to wait for the conservative-libertarian-right to come to their senses, and start helping in DESIGNING a good universal-health-care instead of raging a holy war against it. Time for the USA to FINALLY become a true developed state, just like many others.
Thanks!
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