S1E7: How can we get everyone necessary health care?
Every American needs it. Every American uses it. And yet our nation remains undecided on whether health care — and the insurance that covers it — is a right or a privilege.
That debate was at the heart of Congress' most recent arguments regarding the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
The argument policymakers are having is affected in part by how we see ourselves as Americans.
Are we hard workers who earn, through the money we make, the privilege of health care security? Or are we a community that supports others through tough times and pools our vast wealth to ensure security for all?
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Nearly everyone who weighed in during this week's live Flyover show agreed that health care is a right.
"Nobody comes into this world without needing health care. Most everyone is born in a hospital," wrote Heidi, a commenter on our live blog, in summarizing the views held by many. "That by itself should end this argument about whether or not it is a privilege."
But how we make care accessible to all gets more complicated.
Hear this week's discussion using the audio player above, and join the conversation in the comments below or with the Twitter hashtag #FlyoverRadio.
This week's guests:
• Clay Masters — Iowa Public Radio's Morning Edition host and lead political reporter.
• Vivian Ho — Director of the Center for Health and Biosciences at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.
• Sally Pipes — President, CEO and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy at the Pacific Research Institute.