In the second presidential debate, moderator Tom Brokaw asked the candidates whether health care is a privilege, a responsibility, or a right. John McCain answered privilege, while Barack Obama said that health care is a right. With nearly 46 million Americans uninsured, and millions more unable to meet their medical expenses despite having insurance, the notion of an American right to health care seems far from today's reality. But a human right to health care is deeply rooted in our national history and values, and is broadly supported by the American people. It is an idea whose time has come.
After leading our country out of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt voiced the connection between health care and the Founding Fathers' vision of inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In his 1944 State of the Union address, Roosevelt explained that Americans have come to embrace a "second bill of rights" alongside the civil liberties set out in the Constitution. Those rights, FDR declared, include "the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health."
Four years later, the US played a leading role in creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration states that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including ... medical care and necessary social services."
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