Is Health Care a Human Right?
Setup
Do we have a right to health care? The United States remains the only developed country in the world unable to come to agreement on the answer. While many feel that the US government crossed a line with the Affordable Care Act’s mandate, others hope the program will expand. But do we even maintain consensus on the status of rights such as security, water, and shelter — and to what extent should government prioritize these protections? In this conversation, surgeon and best-selling author Atul Gawande shares the human side of this political impasse and explores how the American experience with health care affects our views of our country, our government, and one another.
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