HLT 600 GC Week 6 Discussion 1 Latest
Do you think that public health is a right? Why or why not? Respond to three other peers and provide additional insight and/or constructive comments. One-sentence posts or peer responses are not appropriate and will not receive full credit.
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Is public health a right?
Introduction
We live in a world where we have the right to vote, but not always the right to vote. We have the right to live free from discrimination, but not always from racism or sexism. We have basic human rights that are enshrined in international law and recognized by all countries on Earth — but some of those rights don’t apply to everyone equally:
The idea that health care is a human right has been enshrined in international law for more than 60 years.
The idea that health care is a human right has been enshrined in international law for more than 60 years. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring health care a human right. In 1967, ICESCR was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and became an international treaty that protects some basic rights for people around the world.
The international community recognizes everyone’s entitlement to “the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
The international community recognizes everyone’s entitlement to “the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
It’s worth noting that the right to health is also recognized in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which states: “The enjoyment of this right shall not be subject to any conditions other than those which are necessary for its exercise. To ensure respect for this right, States Parties undertake to make provision for all persons within their jurisdiction without distinction of any kind whatsoever such as race, colour or ethnic origin national religion or belief political opinion sex age marital status civil status disability occupation social origin family responsibility sexual orientation membership of a particular social group other status as well as other circumstances so far as they pertain specifically either directly or indirectly.”
The United States is one of the few countries on Earth that does not have guaranteed health care as a right.
As a nation, we’re an outlier in terms of our health care system. The United States is one of the few countries on Earth that does not have guaranteed health care as a right. And while some may think this makes sense because there are many different types of insurance available, it’s important to remember that health insurance covers only physical injuries and illnesses (like broken bones or cancer).
But why should people be forced to pay for something they don’t want? Health care should be free! It’s basic human rights—and everyone deserves access to quality medical services regardless of their financial situation or immigration status.
In fact, the United States spends more on health care than any other nation on Earth.
The United States spends more on health care than any other country. This is true even though our overall health outcomes and life expectancy are better than those of most countries in the world. And there’s no sign that this trend will reverse any time soon: health care costs are rising rapidly, while the US population is getting older and living longer — two factors that make our aging population more expensive to treat.
The fact that we spend so much money on treating diseases (and not preventing them) is a problem because it means that some people who could benefit from prevention have limited access to it due to cost reasons alone. It also means that many people who could benefit from treatment don’t get access to it; this leads us down an endless cycle of costly illness after costly illness for those lucky enough not lose their jobs due layoffs or bankruptcies caused by medical bills piling up too high—or worse yet, dying uninsured because they couldn’t afford treatment before having insurance would’ve helped save them from bankruptcy!
The state of U.S. health care is a crisis, the authors wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The authors wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine: “The United States spends more than twice as much per capita on health care as any other nation, yet its people have worse outcomes and higher rates of mortality.”
The U.S. has the highest number of people without health insurance in the world, with 44 million lacking coverage at some point in their lives; one out of every five adults lacks prescription drug coverage; over one-third of Americans live below federal poverty guidelines (about $12,000 for an individual); and 14 percent are unable to afford food—despite being able to afford electricity bills each month (which average around $100).
Health care is no different from other basic human rights
You might be surprised to learn that health care is not just a right, but also an important human right.
Health care should be considered as one of the fundamental rights of everyone in society because it provides critical services and care for people who cannot afford them. Health care can help you live longer and healthier lives, which means fewer visits to doctors or hospitals; fewer days off work; less stress on your family members when they need help caring for you during illness; less worry about losing someone close to whom you feel responsible because they could die without proper medical attention.
Conclusion
The reality is that the United States has no business denying health care as a right. The country spends more than any other nation on health care, but we aren’t getting our money’s worth. We need to work together to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, high-quality medical care regardless of their income level or ability to pay.
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