Health Care as a Civil Right!

In his article Jonathan Alter sort of echoes my idea on a previous post that our rights, just like Gideon v. Wainwright did for defendant’s rights, should be extended to include the “Right” to Health Care.

He sums it up beautifully:

The core principle behind health-care reform is—or should be—a combination of Social Security insurance and civil rights. Passage would end the shameful era in our nation's history when we discriminated against people for no other reason than that they were sick. A decade from now, we will look back in wonder that we once lived in a country where half of all personal bankruptcies were caused by illness, where Americans lacked the basic security of knowing that if they lost their jobs they wouldn't have to sell the house to pay for the medical treatments to keep them alive. We'll look back in wonder—that is, if we pass the bill.

We can only hope that we can be proud of our fellow citizens and legislators when we look back on this historical moment for our country.