Everyone has a right to health insurance coverage
In my opinion, everyone has a right to health insurance coverage. I think that all Americans have a constitutional right to health care, and that no American should be left out of the system. Having the right to health coverage does not always entail that the government must pay for medical expenses. What it suggests, in my opinion, is that the government is responsible for constructing a health-care system that is accessible, affordable, and sustainable for all Americans, regardless of economic level. According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every person has the right to a living standard that is efficient for the well-being and health of oneself, including medical care (Otto, 1995). Besides, according to the 2005 resolution of World Health Assembly, signed by the United States, everyone has the right to access healthcare services, and no one should suffer financial adversity when getting such services (Nuttal, 2014). That is a confirmation that having health coverage is a right and not a privilege.
The Affordable Care Act emphasizes the right to health insurance
Additionally, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 was primarily to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to an average American, which implies that the government recognized the citizens' right to having health insurance. The ACA requires that every health plan provided by any health insurance company must consider essential health benefits, which further justifies people’s right to health insurance (Kantarjian, 2016).
The founding documents support the right to health care
The United States’ founding documents provide great support for its citizens’ right to health care, which encompasses health insurance. The Declaration of the United States Independence states that every American has unalienable Rights, including the right to liberty, life, and the pursuit of Happiness (Otto, 1995). That necessarily implies having the health care required to preserve life and the pursuit of happiness. Having health insurance is, therefore, a right, just in the same way people have a right to liberty. All Americans have the right to enjoy the liberty to freely access the care they need, as well as pay for care in a manner that is mutually convenient for both the citizens and the care providers (Otto, 1995).
Protections and rights under the health care law
Additionally, the health care law, under the American Constitution, provides for various protections and rights that make health insurance fairer and easy to understand. Some protections and rights apply to job-based plans, others to health insurance marketplace, while some apply to all forms of health coverage (Kantarjian, 2014). However, the bottom line is that they all acknowledge the people's entitlement to an accessible and affordable care through health insurance. Almost every American citizen understands the value of health insurance, but several of them appear to have been shut out from the insurance marketplace due to various restrictions set by the service providers. In my view, such restrictions are violations of the people's right to health insurance, and there is a great need for the government to intervene (Kantarjian, 2014).
Conclusion
Therefore, in my view, having health insurance is a right that every American citizen should enjoy, and no single American should be left out of health coverage system. The government's recognition of the people's right to health coverage, in my view, is the only sure way of improving public health, stopping medical bankruptcies, as well as reducing overall health care costs. Besides, respecting the people's right to health insurance requires the government to develop systems that would ensure fairness in the people's access to health coverage, as well as an effective and efficient use of public resources.
References
Kantarjian, H. (2016). The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, three years later: A reality check. Cancer, 123(1), 25-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cncr.30384
Nuttall, I. (2014). International Health Regulations (2005): taking stock. Bulletin of The World Health Organization, 92(5), 310-310. http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/blt.14.138990
Otto, D. (1995). Linking Health and Human Rights: A Critical Legal Perspective. Health and Human Rights, 1(3), 272. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/4065139
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