Health care and a 'high standard of living' are two separate issues. No one owes me anything, but with the taxes I pay I shouldn't have to think twice before going to the doctor to have a breast lump checked.

No, not entirely. But I think that our government has the responsibility to make sure it's affordable. I think there should be laws to cap health care company profits, frivolous malpractice suits, all the things that cause healthcare prices to skyrocket. Although we live in a capitalist society, our health should not be left to people trying to get rich off of the average joe just trying to live.

No. OUR government has fuck all to do with the USA. We live somewhere else.

Absolutely not as to a guaranteed standard of living. As far as national health insurance, other than being a final safety net for those who suffer a catastrophic illness, no also.

Health insurance? No. Guaranteed high standard of living? You've already got the opportunity, what you do with it is up to you.

The government does not have either responsibility, but it does have an OPPORTUNITY to help with the problem of health care. There are lots of things that government does which aren't in it's (fairly minimal) list of responsibilities. Building roads is an example: there's nothing in the constitution which says the Federal government needs to build an interstate highway system, send men to the moon, establish national parks, fund the arts, or any of a thousand other government-sponsored programs. Responsibility is the wrong word. Opportunity is better: it's legitimate to hold that the best use of government is to help make the lives of people better. Of course, there's an immense range of views about HOW to accomplish that... from "government should do almost nothing" to "government should take over many things that are currently private". Our current system in the U.S. is a compromise of many competing interests. In the area of healthcare, the U.S. is one of the last holdouts of modern industrialized countries to NOT provide some form of universal healthcare, and in that sense I do think we're poorer for it. Those of us who have been affected by the inability to afford healthcare are asking the rest of us to help out. I can afford to so so, and I'm happy to do so ... as long as it's across the board so the burden is shared widely. Only government can make that happen.

hell yea i think they should cover us wit health insurance. alot of people are dieing because when they go to the hospital with a life threating illness the doctors dont help them because of their health insurance. if you ask me that's bullshit

Fuck no, but the more worthless socialists our government schools crank out, the more likely it will happen anyway. So much for our once free country. R.I.P.

We, in Australia, have universal health coverage. It has not bankrupted us, or interfered with the ability of some to become rich. Some of the wealthiest countries in the world have universal coverage. However, no government can guarantee a high standard of living. We, in Australia, have assistance for the poor, but still a lot of money gets wasted on drugs and alcohol, resulting in many disadvantaged children and in poverty.

No to both. Get the government out of our lives.

high standard of living, no. high standard of living is subjective, and its impossible to guarantee. as for national healthcare, i will let the declaration of independence answer your question...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed... i believe in the tenets upon which this country was founded. i believe our government has a moral responsibility to ensure all americans get access to healthcare. if all men are created equal, they must be treated as such. our forefathers mandated that we be given the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. if you deny people access to healthcare you are in essence negating one of the fundamental principles this country was built upon. by denying proper healthcare to those without or with limited health insurance coverage the us healthcare system has murdered or shortened the lives of many americans. it is a travesty. we fought against britain all those many years ago to create a better nation ~ now look at us. our current government has shown where its priorities are. it is more important to wage war that has left us in such in an abominable financial mess that our banks are collapsing, the housing market is dire straits, and we dont even have enough money to take support important social programs to truly care of our own. it is inhumane. if europe and many other countries in the world can sustain free healthcare for all, why arent we doing the same?