Health care debate missing a key point

Missing in past and current health reform debate dialogue is acknowledgment that all Americans ought to have the fundamental human right to health care. No one could argue that today's health care system is overburdened, inefficient, expensive and often inaccessible. Many people do not have access to health care. For some, affordability, geography, cultural and ethnic disparities, or language barriers prevent them from receiving care.

Regrettably, the health care reform debate happening in Washington right now puts the proverbial cart before the horse. Save for a very few passionate references from Sen. Edward Kennedy before his death, no one else has once said that health care is a human right to be afforded to every citizen equally. That health care is a human right should have been the framework for the current dialogue from the beginning and the conspicuous foundation of any adopted legislation. Instead, discussion and negotiations have centered exclusively on financial aspects, and while costs are an absolutely pivotal component to reform, it is unfortunate that an expressed agreement on a right to health care was not established first and foremost before talk so quickly dissolved to dollars.

As the various committees in the houses of Congress pass measures on health reform and work toward a final piece of legislation a majority can agree on, the nation inches closer to a new system of health delivery. What is not clear is whether this new system will actually be an equitable improvement over the current one. So far, the dialogue among policymakers has been fraught with statistical and cost interpretations, often fanned by various special interests who quite purposefully have their own and not the public's best interests at heart. While initiated by the president, the debate has largely been framed and driven by insurance and pharmaceutical companies who have mobilized to protect their financial interests in any new system that becomes law. In the end, Congress and the president have been quite clear that the reform plan adopted will not cover every single American, with perhaps as many as 6 percent of the U.S. population to remain without coverage. This is not responsible reform.

In a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau, it was estimated that 15.5 percent of Americans and 13.6 percent of New York state residents under age 65 and thus without Medicare coverage are uninsured. By comparison with data from the same report, 19.1 percent of people under age 65 in Jefferson, 16 percent in Lewis, and 16.5 percent in St. Lawrence counties are uninsured, a total of 36,700 people. If any one of the current reform models becomes adopted, approximately 12,400 of our north country neighbors could conceivably remain uninsured. This is not responsible reform.

For reform to come as far as it has in the political process is remarkable from a historical standpoint. The president and Congress deserve a measure of credit for staying the course, but the debate early-on veered and stayed off balance because of an unwillingness to acknowledge the "right" aspect up front. President Obama came close to acknowledging health care as a right in his address to Congress, but stopped short by speaking only of "our moral obligation." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also made occasional references to a moral obligation, but nothing stronger.

Despite the progress made to enact reforms, it is clear that policymakers continue to root the national health care problem in terms of money and coverage, allowing privilege, commodity, and profit interests to completely dominate the dialogue. The cornerstone of successful health care reform must be the explicit acknowledgment that all Americans have a fundamental right to health care.

I encourage the public to contact our federal representatives now and let them know your opinions about health reform. Our senators and Rep. William L. Owens need to hear our stories, whether or not people agree that health care is a right. People can also visit www.thepetitionsite.com/12/health-care-is-a-human-right and demonstrate support by signing the petition. The petition will be shared with federal policymakers.

Stephen A. Jennings is public health planner of the Jefferson County Public Health Service.