It is astonishing to me that nobody in this debate ever notes the extremely relevant fact that not only is there a moral right to health care, there is an established legal right to health care under binding international law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, notes that:

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services..."

This right is recognized and taken seriously everywhere in the developed world except the US, where it virtually doesn't exist. The US is however a (founding) member state of the UN, and as such is bound by the Declaration.

There is no right to "health;" that's a spurious slippery slope argument from the right, any more than the right to due process means a right to never be imprisoned. There is however an established right to health care. Furthermore, a single-payer system would be far cheaper than the current US system. It would not only work under 2009 (not 1975) standards, it would cost a fraction of what it does now. This madness has got to stop.

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What is more important than your right to life?

There are limits to what the state can secure for you, but it ought not to enable other parties to deprive you of medical care.

Congress ought to turn its back on the corporate insurers and side with those they are supposed to represent.

Otherwise, they are taking money on a false pretense.

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In a civil modern society, health care is a right.

There is no debate about that, why are they wasting all of our time?

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This health debate will never be brought to a conclusion if we don't first define our terms. What is health, risky behavior, life, death, our right, effective health care, basic right, minimum care, health insurance, healthy lifestyle, preventive health care, reasonable provider compensation, health emergency...? I posit some observations: health insurance is NOT health care. Emergency rooms are NOT health insurance. Health insurance is NOT an excuse for risky behavior.
A constructive debate can then sort out the roles, if any, of big pharma, HMOs, CDC, HHS, AARP, FDA, USDA, AMA... in safeguarding America's health. Once we have sorted out what we are debating we can begin to put a value on our HEALTH that a democratic majority can 'live' with.

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That is actually not the real question. Health care, how advanced is a society, can it support universal health care, how does it really value it's citizens. So which does a society value more, the health of majority of it's citizens or the profits of a minority of citizens and, of course the many foreign investors who profit off US health care.

Will the US actually conduct a referendum and put the options to the US people to decide ie. the democratic principle or will a hand full of people behind the scenes make the decision purely based upon self serving reasons. If US citizens really want universal health they had better be prepared to protest long and hard to get it because currently it looks like profits of the minority will be put far ahead of the health and costs of the majority.

Profit - if you don't pay enough, they can't make enough and they wont ever have enough, they always want more.

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It is absolutely incredible that the side of the political spectrum that champions the culture of life and holds liberty as its highest value opposes the public option on health care.

Sick people need treatment; well people need medical advice and preventive consultations.

How is it to conclude that respecting and enhancing life means caring for the sick and maintaining health?

How hard is it to figure out that poor health destroys liberty?

The Conservative side need to get off their high horse and do a reality check.

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AS PRESIDENT OBAMA SAID HEALTH CARE IS A RIGHT. END OF DISCUSSION. THE RICH FOLKS DON'T CARE BECAUSE THEY CAN BUY THEIR OWN PERSONAL PHYSICIAN. HYPOCRITES THAT THEY ARE. I HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR BIG PHARMA, THE FAT CATS, THE BANKERS AND CEO'S. THEY HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WHEN THEY CAN'T LIVE ON A MERE 1 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. LETS RAISE MONEY FOR HEALTH CARE. LIMIT ALL THEIR SALARIES.

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is a scam. Someone steps between Dr. and patient and add up to 30% to the bill. Would GM or any other business be going bankrupt if they didn't attempt to provide health care? Can we compete in a global economy, when the rest of the world does it differently than we do, I doubt it. What would happen if tomorrow if a single payer system was in place and everyone had care. First most of the employees now working in the health insurance industry would need to be hired by the government to administer the system. The only people that would actually be out of their jobs would be the management and sales department or divisions. In other words the thieves and con men would be out on their collective asses. The positive ripple effects of a single payer system are to many to list, but I'll give you one. Families would NOT be losing their homes and going bankrupt to support private fortunes generated by a system whose only motive is profit. The current health insurance industry is as detrimental and useless to Americas future as the central banking system known as the FEDERAL RESERVE.

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1. Is the govt obligated to keep every person alive as long as it is technically possible?

2. What is a person?

3. Should felony prisoners get organ transplants? Ahead of people who have never been arrested (caught, convicted)?"

4. What about self-induced diseases and activities? Homosexual activity, fat burgers, smoking, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, motorcycles, booze. skiing . . . ? Should they not pay a premium?

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