As the issue of Medicare fraud is now being exposed like never before, another healthcare-related issue needs to be fully illuminated.
Driving through my neighborhood, I pass a yard sign: “Healthcare is a human right.” Who would make such a claim? Is obtaining a driver’s license a right? One needs to demonstrate competence in driving and pass some tests. Driving an automobile, legally, is a privilege and a responsibility, but it is not a right. Likewise, healthcare is not a right. For openers, government intrusion in all aspects of our lives has proceeded unabated for 90+ years, largely accelerated under Franklin Roosevelt.
Today, led by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the sacrosanct viewpoint has emerged that healthcare is a right and that the Federal government should lead the charge. Aren’t each of us responsible for our own health, with exceptions for those who have endured unforeseen, extraordinary circumstances, or those whom nature did not fully equip?
Some Try, Most Don’t
In the general population, individuals who maintain a healthy body, on average, enjoy better health than those who do not. Sadly, large segments of our population do little or nothing to maintain their health and, worse, engage in quite unhealthy behavior.
Are individuals who smoke, drink to excess, overeat, barely exercise, consume drugs, and rarely support their own well-being entitled to healthcare insurance on par with those who do the opposite?
The cost of covering individuals who take no responsibility for their health is staggering. Unfortunately, even if you are diligent about maintaining your health, the healthcare insurance that you have to purchase partially funds the healthcare coverage of others, in some way, who do not share in your vigilance.
What Have You Paid?
I summed my decades of healthcare insurance payments versus the actual benefits I received via claims and reimbursements. I had paid more than $175,000 while garnering a little less than $15,000 in benefits. So, all told, I forked over $160,000+ for coverage that I never used and which was allocated to others. Meanwhile, I did nearly everything I could to stay healthy.