I do however have some opinions on the morality of health care reform. And without bringing cost into this argument I think that health care is an in-exclude-able (is that a word?) service provided by the government. Let me explain:

Everyone pays for the roads through their taxes – even if they don’t drive. There is no way to logically or easily deny people access to the roads the government provides, therefore we all pay the taxes for their upkeep.

Everyone pays for the military through their taxes too. Should the army only defend those Americans who decide they can pay? The same goes for the fire department and the police. Should only the families that can afford to pay the police premium be protected? In a truly capitalistic world the answer would be yes! But there is another factor – morals. Should the police not protect a woman from rape because she has not paid her protection plan premium? Should the fire department limit you to 200 gallons of water if your house burns down because you cannot afford the tier 2 protection plan?

Duh.

The same is true for health care because it is a moral issue. Even today, hospitals cannot refuse treatment to anyone who comes into the ER regardless of their ability to pay because it just isn’t morally right.

I am all for limited government and fiscal responsibility. But capitalism without moral restraint is nothing less than anarchy and I believe the government is well within it’s rights to enforce the moral restraint of  universally available and affordable health care.

Related posts:

1. My Welfare Epiphany