How the US Healthcare System Embraces Radical Freedom & Responsibility
Stephen Covey (American Author) once said,
“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.”
As a health insurance broker, I speak with many individuals with ongoing health concerns. These issues can range from mental health issues, acute illnesses, critical illnesses, injuries, etc. In all fairness, humans are not perfect and we shouldn’t expect ourselves to be.
“Freedom” and “Responsibility” seem to go hand and hand. If you can remember moving out of your parents house, you probably know what I’m talking about. It’s like negotiating new terms with the rest of world. You now have the radical freedom to do essentially whatever you want, but on the other hand, it’s now your radical responsibility to deal with the consequences of your actions. As trivial as this may come off in everyday life, this philosophy is how I view the US healthcare system.
Radical Freedom
Freedom with healthcare? In the United States? Yes! Here are a few examples how….
- You can choose to have or not to have health insurance. You have the choice to decide if you’d rather save the money and take that risk.
- You can choose to be enticed by those fast food commercials and eat out most of the time.
- You can choose to buy alcohol and tobacco, two of the most dangerous substances ever known. These two substances have a clear history of health problems and many, many, many deaths.
Radical Responsibility
- If you choose not to get health insurance and end up getting sick or into an accident, you will be responsible for paying the entire bill.
- If you choose to skip the gym and eat fast food every day, ultimately you’re going to be responsible for the downside consequences that comes with that.
- If you choose to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, the problems as a result will ultimately be your responsibility to deal with; however in this special case, others may make it their personal responsibility to take this freedom away from you.
By the way, I am not perfect in any of these areas. There have been times in my life that I didn’t have health insurance. I still love McDonalds fries and milkshakes. Oh, and Yes, I smoke cigarettes. I firmly believe it helps me look cool in the eyes of 19 year old who also drives a Honda Civic and listens to mumble rap. Moreover, I firmly believe it is my personal responsibility to invent a bullshit reason to which I can justify why it’s okay that I smoke. Speaking about responsibility, if my wife is reading this, I’m totally joking and I’m quitting soon. I love you very much.
As mentioned before, we shouldn’t expect to be perfect. Sometimes it’s even appropriate to even lean into our quirks and be proud of who we are as individuals. In retrospect however, we shouldn’t assume pride alone will pay our medical bills, make us lose weight, or kick our bad habits. We must look at our freedom as great power and with great power comes great responsibility.
