« back to main

Healthcare: whose responsibility, exactly?

by Jessalyn Estill on October 9th, 2008   Comments [3]

Amidst the heated discussions of foreign policy and the economic crisis, perhaps one of the most compelling questions asked by Tom Brokaw during the second presidential debate was this, “Is health care in America a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?”

Senator McCain believes healthcare is a responsibility.
“I think it’s a responsibility...”

Senator Obama believes it is a right.
“I think it should be a right for every American...”

In a time when the American public is demanding honesty and responsibility from the government, Senator McCain’s answer seems fair enough. When taking a closer look at his proposed plan, however, it isn’t clear who’s supposed to be responsible. Under his healthcare plan, taxes would be imposed on employer-provided health care benefits, and in place of these benefits he proposes a tax credit ($2500 for individuals and $5000 for families). Interestingly, the average cost per family for health insurance is more than $12,000 a year. So if our insurance is more than twice the provided tax credit, I guess we’re supposed to… take responsibility ourselves for the remainder?

Not only is this proposed tax credit insufficient, it doesn’t provide any regulations, or provisions that would force insurers to cover all Americans- meaning it will hurt those Americans with pre-existing health conditions. My sister Kaitlin, for example, an otherwise healthy 17-year-old, has a stent in her aorta after being in a life threatening car accident last year. In the future she may need to have a surgery to have this stint replaced. With this kind of pre-existing condition, Kaitlin will be hard pressed to find an insurance company willing to cover her for an affordable amount under McCain’s proposed plan.

The fact that McCain would propose a plan that would allow for insurers to discriminate against those who need the insurance the most (those with pre-existing conditions) seems highly irresponsible, especially when you consider that his choice for Vice President told America that, “parents of special needs children, would have a friend and advocate in the White House.” I wonder how many special needs parents would be able to afford the kind of coverage they need for their children under McCain’s health insurance plan.

Finally, McCain’s healthcare plan assumes that Americans are going to use this tax credit to buy health insurance. With 47 million uninsured Americans in this country today, this seems a bit unlikely. Inevitably, some people will pocket the money and forego insurance, but under McCain’s plan, it’s not our government’s responsibility to make sure these people are using their tax credit appropriately. So whose responsibility is it?

Unlike McCain, there is no question about who is responsible for healthcare when looking at Obama’s proposed solution. Obama rightfully puts responsibility on the government to safeguard and maintain the natural liberties of health and life for all citizens.

Obama’s answer (that healthcare is a right for all Americans) is supported fully by his proposed healthcare plan. His solution allows the government to subsidize health care coverage for every American: no participating company could turn someone away because of pre-existing conditions, nor would someone have to pay a higher monthly premium based on them.

In a time when the American public is demanding that the government take responsibility for its actions, isn’t it time to elect a leader fighting to make the government responsible for its citizens?

Comment on this article

« back to main