Healthcare a right or privilege?

I believe all human beings should have access to healthcare and their basic needs to survive. Therefore, I will say healthcare should be a right and made accessible to all. According to Papadimos (2007), there are more than forty-five million Americans that are underinsured or without medical insurance (Papadimos, 2007). It goes against the basic human rights to address this issue and make healthcare more accessible to those in need. I do not think it could be perfectly worded other than out of the abstract from Papadimos (2007), " As human beings we are all valuable social entities whereby, through the force of mortality, through implicitly forged covenants among us as individuals and  between us and our governments, and through the natural rights we maintain as individuals and those we collectively surrender to the common good, it has been determined by nature, natural laws, and natural rights that human beings have the right, not privilege, to healthcare access (Papadimos, 2007). " We have a duty to others and our society to make sure our communities have accessible healthcare and receive adequate health services to maintain the overall health of our people. I do not believe any one should be denied access to health care. However, I do strongly agree with Kereiakes (2004) on the point that if healthcare is viewed as an unalienable right then specific and defined funding needs to be provided for all citizens (Kereiakes, 2004). It is also mentioned that basic health components need identified and "luxury" services as well (Kereiakes, 2004). I feel our country needs to focus more tax dollars on the health of our nation and the citizens living here. We all pay taxes; therefore, we all should have access to healthcare in our country that  tax dollars support.

References:

Kereiakes, D.J., Willerson, J.T. (2004). Circulation: US healthcare: entitlement or privilege? Journal of the   American Heart Association, 109, 1460-1462.

Papadimos, T.J. (2007). Healthcare access as a right, not a privilege: a construct of western thought. Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine, 2:2.