The Bill of Rights states we are endowed with the inalienable rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” In today’s society, there has been a lot of debate about the “right” to government-subsidized health care.
Health care provided by the employer became a widespread benefit in the U.S. after World War II, and President Johnson signed Medicare into law during his administration. This gave a large majority of Americans access to reasonable health care in the 20th century with further legislation providing the Medicaid and CHIP programs for low-income Americans and children. The Affordable Care Act, enacted under President Obama, expanded affordable health care further to even more Americans.
Now Republicans under President Trump are pulling back on subsidies for Medicaid and CHIP and have either reduced or repealed the ACA’s subsidies, leaving at least 20 million Americans either underinsured or without insurance entirely. Without access to affordable health care, how can any American citizen have an inalienable right to life?
An extensive health care system wasn’t in place when the Bill of Rights was signed. However, if the Constitution is a living document, then it should be expanded to include health care for everyone as a right to life, not a privilege for the wealthy.
Kim Smith
Hempfield