Do people have a right to emergency medical care?
On Sunday's Philosophy in Action Radio, I answered a question on emergency medical care. The question was:
Do people have a right to emergency medical care? EMTALA (a.k.a. the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) is a federal law that requires emergency rooms to stabilize any patient with an emergency medical condition, regardless of the patient's ability to pay. Is that proper? Is that the same as a right to medical care?My Answer, In Brief: EMTALA violates the rights of doctors, based on the false premise of a "right" to health care. In practice, it's a disaster for doctors, hospitals, and the working poor. Ultimately, only scammers and advocates of government-controlled medicine benefit by it. Download or Listen to My Full Answer:
- Duration: 22:21
- Download: MP3 Segment
Tags: Altruism, Charity, Egalitarianism, Emergencies, Ethics, Free Society, Justice, Law, Law, Medicine, Politics, Poverty
Links:
- FAQ on EMTALA
- Cato Institute: Medicare's Origin: The Economics and Politics of Dependency by Charlotte Twight
- American College of Emergency Physicians: On EMTALA and The Uninsured
- Health Care Is Not a Right by Leonard Peikoff
- The Objective Standard: Moral Health Care vs. "Universal Health Care" by Lin Zinser and Paul Hsieh
- The Objective Standard: Health Care and the Separation of Charity and State by Paul Hsieh
- Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM), particularly its articles
- The History of Health Care Costs and Health Insurance by Linda Gorman
To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.
A podcast of the full episode – where I answered questions on taxes versus slavery, infanticide after abortion, emergency medical care, and more – is available here: Episode of 12 May 2013.
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About Philosophy in Action Radio
Philosophy in Action Radio applies rational principles to the challenges of real life in live internet radio shows on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. For information on upcoming shows, visit the Episodes on Tap. For podcasts of past shows, visit the Show Archives.
