The inalienable right.

• Author: Rock, Robert H.
• Position: Health care

On the 200th anniversary of the passage of the Bill of Rights, a poll by the AMA, revealed that over three-quarters of Americans think that the Constitution should ensure adequate health care coverage for everyone. Health care is considered an "inalienable right." Yet, 34 million Americans have no health care insurance and many millions more have inadequate coverage. For many Americans, the major issue facing the nation is the availability of quality health care at reasonable costs.

From all corners of our nation people are complaining about sky-rocketing health care costs. Over the past decade the rise in these costs has outstripped income by nearly two to one, threatening the economic security of many Americans families. Today the average U.S. family spends 12% of its income of health care, and this percentage is expected to grow.

Despite the escalating expenditure on health care, many Americans believe they are not getting quality medical services. Complaints about service have grown. Since the higher costs do not seem to equate to better care, some experts are recommending radical changes in the basic structure of American care. They are studying the systems in Canada and Europe to determine whether they can serve as models for the U.S. which spends far more per person on health care than other nations (for example, nearly twice that of Canada and Germany).

Business leaders have joined the crescending chorus demanding health care reforms. Today, businesses spend more on health care than they make in profits. Business spending on health care (including payment for health care insurance premiums, Medicare payroll taxes, worker compensation, disability and employee health benefits, and other general taxes for public health programs) has tripled since 1980, reaching $240 billion this year and is projected to double by the year...