IssuesA take on the health care debate in the United States
Christian Aglen | September 30, 2009There are many tough questions to answer and assumptions to challenge when it comes to health care. Complex details aside, I sense that most people agree on helping those who are ill - both from a moral and pragmatic stand point. Individual and collective health is the foundation for a functioning and sustainable society. Health is our investment.
I have seen dying and ailing people in different parts of the world; some have been lying in the streets, neglected; others have been lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by a supportive apparatus. Each person - as a conscious human being - is of equal value; each person share the same physical predicament and building blocks. Yet, we do not care for all people equally. This is not just a moral challenge, it is a systems-challenge. It is an ongoing challenge, and this is exactly where we are today. So far we have created a plethora of health care delivery systems, but no system has been proven perfect.
The quality of health care in any society ultimately comes down to its own priorities. At the same time, one should acknowledge the scarcity of resources, and the need to appropriately allocate resources to a variety of public services such as education. Health care in the United States is now under-going serious review, and perhaps, a major overhaul. The U.S. is a very resource-rich country with the ability to move mountains very quickly - if it decides to. Despite its current financial constraints, the U.S. still has a large reservoir of resources at its disposal. In 2008, the U.S. accounted for over 40% of the world's military spending, totaling several hundred billion dollars. Could some of this money be invested in health and prevention?
Today, health services in the United States are administered by both public and private sectors; the government provides medicare (for certain people with disabilities and those aged 65 and older) and medicaid (based on level of income), while the private sector provides health insurances for the remaining majority. The current health debate is very complex, and a major component appears to be revolving around the issue of whether or not the government should be involved in the health care system beyond its current programs. Another part of the debate is concerned with how to manage inefficiencies in the current system, including the private market.
As the health care debate and legislative process continues, it is important for all the rest of us to remember one other, to lend a helping hand whenever possible, and to do what we can to maintain good health - which is not just about how we treat ourselves, but also about how we treat the people around us.