Libertarian View On Health Care Essay

675 Words2 Pages

Healthcare on a national scale is complicated. Currently there are two main opinions that have shaped the thought processes and echo the values of the American people. These opinions are the Liberal and the Libertarian viewpoints. Over all, the liberal view is that health and basic healthcare is a human right. The libertarian view values the freedom of choice over the “right” to healthcare. There are valid points across both spectrums, both for and against. We will be reviewing a few of them. The liberal overall view is that health and basic health care is a human right and the belief is that it should be funded with a single payer system. This would cause more even distributions of healthcare expenses and increase accessibility to affordable …show more content…

The freedom to choose also carries a sense of responsibility. In this opinion, we would “look to the individual’s free will and personal responsibility for actions” (Lachman, 2012). They would not be able to take advantage of easy access to healthcare and would be more apt to be held responsible for their own lifestyle. Under this opinion, my patient with COPD would have to either pay for the services he was using out of his own pocket or change his lifestyle so that he didn’t need to. Either way, the burden lies on him and not the community. An opposing factor is that this opinion overlooks “the natu- ral (genetic) and social (upbringing) lottery that places some at a disadvantage” (Lachman, 2012). Not everyone is born equally. There are other factors that involve the ability to receive healthcare besides the ability to choose not to receive any. Hereditary factors or other diseases such as autoimmune disorders, which were not caused by behavior or lifestyle. These may leave those certain individuals at a disadvantage and with no option of receiving healthcare and will limit them from becoming full members of the

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