Human Life

The value of human life:

A survery recently polled American and Canadian Health Care System and it was amazing to know that Canadians live 6 years longer than an American citizen. I am glad I work for a system that allows me the freedom to help people without the politics and red tape.

In theory, a human life is priceless and precious. In reality, it is worth about $50,000 in the United States Of America. Assigning a dollar figure to Medicare patients' lives may sound crass, but such valuations are routine in Americans' daily lives. Take, for example, the $500,000 death benefit the government pays families when a soldier is killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Or the cost calculations that for-profit health insurers make to determine how much coverage they'll give customers.

I was in Seattle last year and had to go into the Emergency room . They took some X-rays and found out that I had a tumor along with my jaw being dislocated due to TMJ. I just assumed that my Canadian Health Card and work benefits would cover it as they do in Canada. I was completely wrong!! I had a choice to make stay in the hospital there and pay $21, 891 for X-rays, bed,test, and medications or drive back home to Canada. Of course, I chose to drive back home. I went directly to the hospital when I got home and there were no questions asked, they operated on me, gave me a private room and served me with a smile.

Our Health policy is care for you no matter where you are from and your social status. I have several American friends who drive here just to get dental and medical check ups and even a few have become patients of my doctor. No questions asked!!

Does a human life have a value? Is saving a human life worth any cost to society, or is it better to let people die in situations where saving them is simply too expensive? If so, aren't we letting people die for economic reasons? Aren't we putting profits before people? Most people would say that human life is a precious thing, and that taking it away from someone by force is a bad thing. Most would also say that an (non-human) animal's life is less valuable, and most (if they are pushed to consider it) would say that the value of a life is based on the intelligence of that creature. Intelligent creatures (like a dog, chimp or dolphin) are more valuable unintelligent creatures (like flies, cockroaches or earth-worms).