Who deserves health care?

​Who deserves health care?
 
Once again, health care is part of the political debate. There are several issues which all of us need to be prepared to address which includes:
 

• Is health care a right or a privilege?
• Should luck, fate, chance, God, hard work or other factors determine who  has access to high quality health care?
• Should survival of the fittest be the determination of who lives and dies?
• Should medical school be free?
• Should medical residency be decently paid?
• Should all who have to get years of training for their profession be guaranteed a decent income while training?
• Should pharmaceuticals companies be publicly owned or be not for profit?
• Should the cost of research be built into the cost of medication?
• Is cost of research, high CEO and other top salaries, and shareholders expectations all responsible for cost of medications?
• Is “what the market will bear” often the basis for pricing medication?
• Does any health care  specialist or administrator need or deserve to make more money that than the average teacher or other professional public servant?  Generally primary care physicians do not expect to make above average income.
• Do we need to quit pretending that Medicare for all is the answer?  One pays extra  for Medicare, parts B, C, and D depending on plan and income.
• Medicaid and certain platinum level health insurance plans  are only programs which does not require co-pay or deductible.   Medicaid eligibility is determined by each state.
• VA is not free to all veterans or all who serve as a member of the national guard.  Veterans who have income and non-service-connected disability pay a significant co-pay and are ineligible for dental and some other care.   National guard units are state organizations and its members are not automatically eligible for VA care.
• If supplies of medication or vaccines are limited who decides who gets priority?
• Should health care be accessible to all regardless of religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, physical and mental ability, and gender?  Does this include birth control, addiction treatment, sexual reassignment surgery and other procedures which are considered elective by some?
• Should children regardless of citizenship status be eligible for health care?
• Who should pay for the health care of immigrants who do not have money or insurance?
• Should doctor require an office visit to get test results to individuals especially if routine or should those automatically be available to the patient without additional charge?
• What tort reform if any,  would be necessary to change some of our health care practices and expectations?
• Are we over reliant on pharmaceutical treatments and “quick fixes” which may target short term treatment of symptoms rather than root causes?

 
These and many other issues need to be addressed if we are to reduce the cost of health care in the United States and make it more accessible?  Yet, many of these issues will trigger  emotional reactions.  Many health care professionals will find that they have a vested  monetary interest or attachment to a level of prestige or status within our current system.  Many individuals may even find that they have an emotional attachment to believing that only  “deserving”  people have access to high quality and speedy health care.   Many will believe that the level of care afforded to or given to the President of the United States recently should only be available to  a relatively few individuals.
 
Questions of health care access and care can result in being forced to examine our most core spiritual beliefs about who we are as humans and to extent to which we be believe “all “people” are created equal and all deserve to be treated as essential to the function of the whole.

Written October 26, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org