The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Ray Lindstrom
Life. That’s the first word of the Declaration of Independence’s triumvirate of unalienable rights: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. In best-selling biographer Walter Isaacson’s current book by the same name, he refers to these words as part of “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written.” I don’t disagree.
It was written in 1776. What did “life” mean to the writers? What was “life” almost 250 years ago? First, it was very short. The life expectancy at birth was 35-38 years. Today it is more than double that.
Why was life so short? There were no medicines to cure illnesses. Doctors did not even understand the basics of sanitation. Even 89 years later, when President Lincoln was shot, a doctor put his unclean finger in his skull to feel where the bullet was lodged. What did they use as the main course of treatment to cure most diseases back then? Bloodletting. It seemed as if medical science, and I use the word “science” loosely, hurt more than it helped.
So here we are in 2025. Medical science is incredible. Many diseases can be cured. With the right care, we can live long lives. I have four stents in my heart. They keep my arteries open after years of smoking (shame on me, but I quit a long time ago) and meals with plenty of cheese and beef. In revolutionary times, I would have been long dead … even a hundred years ago. But here I am, typing away on this column. Fantastic!
Of course, it wasn’t cheap. The hospital and the doctors to do my surgery cost plenty of money. I had good insurance, and now Medicare clicks in.
I have life, like it says in the Declaration. It’s my unalienable right. But is it only because I have good insurance? Or the money to pay?
What about the guy who doesn’t have insurance? Or maybe the insurance company denies him the operation. After all, many insurance companies are private for-profit companies. Their goal is to earn money for their stockholders. The more claims they deny, the more money the company makes. Makes sense.
But, wait, what about our right of “Life?” Shouldn’t we see to it that every citizen has an equal opportunity for the same medical care?
Let me state here that I am a firm believer in capitalism. I’ve done a lot of business over the years, much of which was profitable. That’s OK. But, life or death, healthcare, shouldn’t have anything to do with that.
We pay for and believe in police and fire protection for all. When you need a cop, he doesn’t ask if your policy is paid up. When your house is burning, the firefighter doesn’t check to see if you are a customer before he turns on the hose.
But, if you need an operation to save your life, many times it won’t happen because “your paperwork is not in order.” Not enough money to pay. No insurance. Or insurance claims were denied.
That’s not right.
In 1776, they couldn’t keep you alive. Now they can. Medical treatment should be available for all Americans. We have police. We have firefighters and first responders. We expect that. Why don’t we expect to have services that keep us alive?
The United States of America, the richest country in the world, is the only one of all the “First World” modern, developed nations to not provide some form of universal healthcare for its citizens. How can we let this continue? Much less, consider reducing the small amount of coverage provided for some through the Affordable Care Act?
Healthcare means life. Life is an unalienable right. It says so in the Declaration of Independence.
