“…unless you have a job. Healthcare is not a right, it is a privilege!” No, I don’t believe this quote, but this is what I heard at work yesterday. This person genuinely believed that working (ironically, being able to work) is what should allow you access to a doctor. Now maybe it’s just me and my sensibilities, but getting people healthy should be a priority whether they are working or not. I just don’t get the logic; you need to get yourself healthy enough to go to work THEN you can have access to a doctor. During the discussion yesterday, they then said that these people will go to the hospital and get treated anyway and “we” will have to pay for it. Well, true, but what if this person who has metastatic melanoma could have been treated months or years ago if they could have gone to a dermatologist? Which one do “we” want to pay for? Aside from the cost, let’s get real, though; we live in the wealthiest country in the world and can waste millions of dollars on such things as a political campaign but we don’t want to keep our fellow citizens healthy because they can’t or won’t work? Yes, I said “won’t” because of all the things we shouldn’t allow for those who choose not to work and want to live off the State, withholding healthcare shouldn’t be one of them. We have the ability to take care of each other.
Electoral Shock 