Healthcare is a right and should be provided by the government

While much of the developed world offers little to no cost for healthcare services, the United States still has some of the highest healthcare costs in the world. For other countries in the Anglosphere, such as the UK and Canada, there is often no cost at the point of care. This is because their governments view it as an obligation to provide health services at little to no cost. The World Health Organization even states, "The right to health for all people means that everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without suffering financial hardship."^[1] If the US also subscribed to this worldview, then the current system is failing. Despite only having a little more than 4 percent of the world's population, the US pays about 17 percent of the global pharmaceutical costs. ^[2] This would mean one thing if pharmaceutical prices were low in the US, but they are much higher. For example, vital supplies for diabetics can cost hundreds of dollars a month, whereas in Germany they cost as little as $44 dollars a year.^[3] Germany does not have totally free healthcare, but its government facilitates significantly lower costs for its citizens. Much like the US views speech, assembly, and voting as vital to a healthy democracy, health should be just as important. As long as costs are high, it will be impossible to guarantee that every citizen has access to the care they need.

[P1] Healthcare is a human right. [P2] Healthcare and pharmaceutical costs are too high in the US. [P3] Other developed countries offer free or very low-cost healthcare. [C] The US must treat healthcare as a right, and facilitate easy and affordable access to care much like it protects other rights under the constitution.