Should a Government Provide Health Care for all members of a Society?

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Should a Government Provide Health Care for all members of a Society?
With the mere fact that the government is meant to provide amenities that align with the common good, people have become involved in hotly contested debates on the government’s input concerning health. The government and health continue being a popular American pastime. In essence, ministries as well as other governmental agencies play a central role in healthcare development. They achieve this goal through the generation of the needed resources and the strengthening of health systems. Consequently, health systems achieve financial equity, reduced health inequalities, and improved health. These are primal advantages as to why the government ought to continue providing health care services to all members of society. The solidity behind this proposition arises from various dimensions. First, access to healthcare is a human right implying that every person in the population deserves to receive these services whenever necessary. Secondly, in providing healthcare to all members of society, the government curbs the spread of illnesses because the people are placed in better circumstances to visit the doctor regularly. On the other hand, the opposition to the government providing these services thinks that these social costs should be directed towards other projects. Nevertheless, fundamental governmental involvement in providing health care to all members of society is justified because it is a human right and further, it prevents the spread of illnesses despite the call for the financial resources to be used in other public projects.
The most significant justification for the government’s involvement in providing health care to all people in society is because it is their right. Many people are oblivious of the fact that this right extends beyond access to health care as well as the construction of health facilities. In this regard, this right encapsulates an extensive list of factors that eventually help people lead a healthier life. It is an inclusive right that integrates the provision of safe drinking water, gender equality; health-related education and information, safe food; adequate nutrition, and housing as well as a healthy working environment. These provisions are necessary if a country’s population are to be in their optimal healthy shape. Besides the factors that highlight the importance of this right, there are vital entitlements. One such entitlement demands that the authorities provide equality of opportunity regardless of the individual so that all can attain the highest level of health possible. Moreover, the people are entitled to accessing essential medicines that would prove otherwise elusive under ordinary circumstances and more so concerning costs and family incomes (Aryankhesal et al., 243). Another important aspect in which to view this claim is the people deserve to participate in the health-related decision-making processes not only at the national but also at community levels. Also, maternal, child, and reproductive health elements must be mentioned because they are some aspects that affect most Americans (Wright, Bird, & Frost, 295; Creanga et al 3). The right to health stipulates that health care offered to the people ought to be of exceptional quality. This guideline takes into account the facilities, goods, and services they receive from medical practitioners. However, people must acknowledge that the right to health is different from the right to be healthy. The state cannot warrant its people good health because this phenomenon is predicated upon many factors including a person’s socioeconomic status as well as their biological make-up.
On the other hand, there are people opposed to the idea of government providing healthcare arguing that these social costs are very high and could be an impediment to the progress of other sectors. Recently, the government’s expenditure on healthcare has risen steadily. Such expenditures have been directed towards the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, and Medicare as the government endears to ensure the right to health care prevails. In 1985, these expenses accounted for 10% of the federal budget. However, this figure had risen to 21% by 2012 and projections indicate that it will have risen to 30% by 2028 (Malani & Schill, 124; Banthin). In 2011, Paul Ryan, who was the United States House Budget Committee Chairman, argued these health care programs were at the center of “the explosive growth in our spending and our debt” (Ryan). Other organizations such as George Mason University shares a similar view. The institution states that the imple...