Here’s what bugs me: the divisive oversimplification of the USA healthcare debate. Republicans say that healthcare is a Personal Responsibility. Democrats say that healthcare is a Right. I say phooey. Healthcare is an aspect of the commons that advanced societies provide for their citizens, communally. Once an advanced system is built out, after several generations, that provision will include a range of baseline services which people may access as a Right, and a range of limits for which people must take Personal Responsibility. For instance, that second or third cardiac bypass may or may not be paid for by the commons depending upon ones genetic, socio-economic, and behavioral histories. These aspects can actually be factored in incrementally on the front end and gradually increased over time as data is compiled and technology advances.
