I was near a television the other day, but I wasn’t watching it. I overheard a commercial that referenced Obamacare. I think it was some insurance company trying to get people to sign up on their exchange. I wasn’t really listening, until I heard this quote. It struck me as indicative of the problem in this country, so I wrote it down.  The commercial spokesperson said, “Health insurance is finally here! Call now to find out what you’re entitled to!”

What you are entitled to.

Entitlement is defined as “the condition of having a right to have, do, or get something.” The statement “I am entitled to health care” means “I have the right to be cared for medically.” As I have said before, I do not believe health care is a basic human right. For a better explanation of this, read this article.

People in our society believe that the world owes them things. They believe that the government is supposed to take care of them and solve all their problems. But that’s just wrong.

Nobody owes you anything. You don’t deserve your own car, your own job, the best health care, the finest food, the best entertainment, etc. The word “deserve” means “to do something or have or show qualities worthy of reward or punishment.”

In a recent viral video, we saw a man in a large black truck driving erratically and being a jerk, and then he loses control of his truck and crashes. He deserved to crash, based on his behavior. When we watch a performance of music or drama that is exemplary, we applaud and show our appreciation, because the performer is worthy of the recognition.

Nobody deserves health care. They have to show themselves worthy to receive it.

That is not to say that I as a health care professional would ever refuse service to someone because they had no insurance: I would not. But I also state that the word “professional” means that I should generally be paid for my services.

And even if we state that health care is a basic human right, does this mean that it should be free? To answer that question, let me ask another. Would you not agree that overall food is more important than health care? What’s the percentage of people who have cancer? Heart trouble? Now what’s the percentage of people who need to eat? Yes, it’s 100%. And yet food is not free. So should healthcare be free? No.

So you aren’t entitled to health care. You have to work for it.