The 'Right' to Health Care Is What's Wrong With It

With the American Health Care Act dominating the week's news, one conversation has been unavoidable: Someone — someone who pays attention to public policy — will suggest that we pursue policy x, y, or z, and someone else — someone who pays a little less careful attention, who probably watches a lot of cable-television entertainment masquerading as news — responds: The first thing we have to do is acknowledge that health care is a human right! What follows is a moment during which the second speaker visibly luxuriates in his display of empathy and virtue, which is, of course, the point of the exercise ...