Health Care-Right or Privilege?

I believe health care is a privilege; just like I believe that living in this country is a privilege not a right.

I believe that it is up the business owners to decide if they want to offer health insurance and the government is over-stepping their boundary if they mandate it. If a business chooses not to offer coverage then it is the individuals responsibility to find their own source of insurance. If they can't afford coverage then they need to apply for programs that provide insurance at low to no cost to them and their families.

I do believe that any person who is in need of immediate life saving treatment should be provided with it, knowing that they have a responsibility to pay for what they can.

If a 'health care for all' system was put into place; I think the standard of health care that is provided would be dramatically lowered. If I am able to pay for good health insurance, why should I be forced to put my money into program that would offer, what I believe to be, a lower standard of care? Plus, I believe that if people are given free access to health care, they wouldn't have any reason to take care of themselves. If they can receive free treatment for lung cancer then why should they stop smoking? If they can receive free treatment for type 2 diabetes then why should they take the steps to help prevent it? Such as losing weight. I believe that if someone is forced to pay for something themselves, they tend to think twice about what they're doing.

As a tax payer; I don't believe that I should have to carry the burden of providing health care. We are only required to provide someone with the means to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and, I believe, health care doesn't fall under any 3 of those. I know many would argue that health care is a part of life but it's not; only food, water and shelter are need to sustain life and I (as a tax payer) already provide all 3 of those things.

Health issue(s) of concern

The number one health issue on my list is severe depression. Being treated myself, I worry about those who are effected by it yet don't receive the treatment they need. Mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves, however there is so much more that needs to be accomplished. The lack of attention that mental health receives and the rising cost of health care (the cost of living as well) many people push to the back burner. Many health insurances companies don't offer coverage, and-if-the coverage is offered it is often minimal. If you had diabetes, you would get the treatment needed; so why isn't mental health given the same amount of concern?

Another health issue that is major concern to me is sex education (or the lack there of). I've talked to many different women in my age group (young 20's) and it astounds me to hear how incomplete their "sex knowledge" is, especially STD's. I think it's so important to arm women with this knowledge; knowledge is power!

I've spoken to two women:

Diane (53 years old) main concern is blood pressure. She's having trouble finding the right combination/dosage of medication to help her high BP.

Ashby (34 years old) main concern is skin health. She hardly wore sunscreen when she was growing up and in the past 2 years she's visited the dermatologist 15 times to have things examined, removed, studied, etc. She never realized how important protection from the sun really is (SUNSCREEN, hats, etc); especially for a fair skinned blonde. She always thought it was just fine to get sunburned a few times each summer because she tanned afterwards and she believed that once she tanned she was protected from the sun-wrong!