Health Care is a Human Right
Bring human rights to the health care debate -- sign the petition!
In October 2008, President Obama affirmed that health care should be a right, not a privilege. In so doing, he echoed the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international conventions, which hold that every human being has the right to health, including health care.
Elected officials in the United States -- especially President Obama, his administration, and the current Congress, but also policymakers at the state and local levels -- have a historic opportunity to make good on the president's affirmation by recognizing and treating health care as a right, and not a commodity.
We believe that health care is a right, not a privilege or a commodity. To fulfill the human right to health care, the U.S. health care system must meet these principles:
- Universality: This means that everyone in the United States has the human right to health care. Reform measures should ensure that every person has access to comprehensive, quality health care. No one should be discriminated against on the basis of income, health status, gender, race, age, immigration status or other factors.
- Equity: This means that benefits and contributions should be shared fairly to create a system that works for everyone. Health care is a public good, not a commodity. Gaps in the health care system should be eliminated so that all communities, rich and poor, have access to comprehensive, quality treatment and services. Publicly financed and administered health care should be expanded as the strongest vehicle for making health care accessible and accountable.
- Accountability: This means that the U.S. government has a responsibility to ensure that care comes first. All players in the health care system, whether public or private, have human rights obligations, and must be accountable to the people. The U.S. government is ultimately responsible for ensuring that both public agencies and private companies make health care decisions based on health needs, not on profit margins or other factors.
Organizations that have endorsed these principles
Help change the debate -- sign the Health Care is a Human Right petition!
We'll keep you informed about Amnesty International USA's
Health Care is a Human Right project and let you know
about opportunities to take action in the coming months.
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