Now I find out we hold similar political views as well. Julia blogs thoughtfully on the concept of Health Care Reform in the U.S. as an obligation to Xenia, hospitality. I have read criticisms of this concept that refute that Xenia has nothing to do with government entitlements, and that it rather highlights personal responsibility. I respectfully make the assertion that a public option in health care is more than just Xenia, it is Ethike Arete, the practice of habitual excellence, or ethics. How are we as a culture to protect ourselves from the miasma of disease when we cannot afford to treat those diseases? How is allowing a disenfranchised person to languish without adequate health care ethical?
I will readily admit that I have a personal stake in the fight for a public option. I am a hard-working, educated adult who is currently without health insurance. I do not currently have a primary care physician, as I cannot afford to pay out of pocket to see a health practitioner. I am currently without hormonal birth control, as I cannot afford to pay for both the ongoing cost of a prescription and a full yearly exam. I am not a freeloader for expecting the right to affordable health care for myself and my family.
The public option is the ethical choice. It is the hospitable choice. It is the right choice for Hellenics.
{Blushes} Thank you, Glaux, for your nice words and encouragement. I usually think for a long time before I finally sit down to blog about an issue which has serious religious/ethical ramifications. Seeing the hysteria on the news, I could hardly believe that the people who do not want to give up their own Medicare want to deny it for others. There are other issues, as well: for example, permitting people to buy prescription medication from Canada. In the simplest terms, that would be permitting U.S. citizens to steal from the citizens of a country which subsidizes medication. For those who can afford it, we do have excellent health care (I am one of the fortunate in that I worked for the State of Connecticut and have full health care as a retiree); however, I want my fellow citizens not to worry about the costs of going to a doctor and getting proper medications.
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