Friday, January 08, 2010

Values and Health Care Reform .....

Got lucky recently ... caught a podcast on NPR TALK of the NATION - SCIENCE FRIDAY which tackled the topic of our American Values and how that relates to health care ....

The Hastings Center has set up a website to track essays in how health care relates to or values such as: Justice, Fairness, Liberty, Freedom ... just to mention a few.

I read a few ... but one stood out the most .... an essay by Michael F. Cannon from The Cato Institute.

Mr. Cannon argues that is the LOSS of freedom in health care choices that has got us into the predicament we're in as a nation. While absolute freedom to some my sound like utopia ... but the sad truth is we live in a nation where the under-educated, uninformed, inexperienced and ignorant would rather spend their money on a bigger flat screen TV and blue-ray player rather than purchase health insurance ... it sounds like a race to the bottom. I felt compelled to leave this comment:

The problem with your argument is you assume everyone in our country is as educated, informed and as practical as yourself. In a country obsessed with reality TV, video games and junk food that has led to obesity becoming an national epidemic do you really think the majority of Americans are responsible enough to make all of these health care choices themselves? For example we have known for decades the effects of smoking, yet with government regulation, education and exorbitant taxes people still choose to harm their bodies by smoking. How can we expect people as such to make sane health care choices? Your utopia of absolute freedom sounds like a race to the bottom. Comprehensive health care in our country should be a basic right just the way primary education is. If you don't like the basics, you always have the freedom to use your disposable income to purchase more.

#posted by Rob Roschewsk @ 10:15 AM

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