Access to Healthcare is Not Up For Debate

Image by Alexander Grey

On July 21st, President Joe Biden withdrew his bid for reelection into the White House. In a historic turn of events, the president threw his support to his right hand, Vice President Kamala Harris and endorsed her candidacy. From then on, Harris became the presumptive democratic nominee and her battle with Republican opponent – former President Donald Trump. As the two candidates continue vying for the vote of the nation, topics such as immigration, the economy, international conflict, and healthcare – specifically, women’s reproductive health – are all being actively discussed.

However, as attention grows around the aforementioned topic, a political connotation seems to attach itself to them. The increasing polarization occuring in our nation is presenting a potential danger to the sanctity of these institutions. A primary concern is the politicization of the healthcare industry. The potential damage of this could be catastrophic as access to healthcare could be threatened for millions of Americans.

At its core, healthcare is meant to be about the wellbeing of the community. It is supposed to be objective – medical care for all irregardless of race, gender, sexuality, and especially political affiliation. But, as it intertwines itself within political debate, we risk losing the universal access healthcare should come with.

Oftentimes, healthcare is used as a battleground; an opportunity for candidates on both sides to push their partisan agendas towards the public. Public health policy being politicized transforms the conversation surrounding healthcare from a discussion of accessibility and affordability to a fight for political control. One party pushes for the privatization of healthcare while the other urges government intervention; but, which party is prioritizing access to constituents above all else?

“This country has seen itself divided now more than ever before, but at the end of the day cancer doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. We all need to come together and put pressure on our politicians, especially at the local level, to take our healthcare seriously,” explains DoorSpace CEO Sarah M. Worthy.

Healthcare is not a partisan issue. Whether you lean right, left, or somewhere in between, your access to affordable healthcare should be dependent on one fact alone: You are a person.

Illness is inevitable in this life. People will get sick. They will suffer from chronic conditions. And, often, they will need preventive care. These are universal human experiences. Thus, access to timely, affordable, and quality care should not depend on which political party holds power.

“This type of pressure does not have to be as broad as universal healthcare – it can start as simply as protections for doctors and other healthcare workers. By asking politicians’ stances on labor laws for healthcare workers, we will be able to vote to care for the ones who care for us,” continues Worthy.

The continued politicization of the healthcare industry can result in large disparities for many communities. For example, privatizing healthcare will inevitably harm individuals who reside on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum. If political ideology and affiliation takes precedence over the health and wellbeing of our community, then our nation has a bigger problem to deal with than figuring out who should be in the White House this November.