Friday, May 16, 2008

Healthcare as a 'right'

The 'right to healthcare' is commonly assumed to mean that 'society' is obliged to supply it to everyone (for 'free'). A better interpretation:
I do believe that healthcare is a right, in the sense that free speech is a right; no one can take that right away from you. On the other hand, no one else has to build an auditorium for you, or publish a newspaper for you so that you can exercise your right to free speech. Treating health care as a right that others have the duty to supply for you has a great many ill effects. Universal health care sounds good as a dream, but in actual practice it has a great many deficiencies ...

And, furthermore ... , etc.

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