On the occasion of his 23rd birthday earlier this year, our son had yet another coming of age ritual in our culture, losing his family health care insurance. Our daughter will make that transition as well in three more years. As their parent, I can’t acknowledge those milestones without reflecting on our health care system and all the issues that swirl around it in terms of liberty and our social covenant.

First I think it is appropriate that I confess (or at least share) my own context, my own journey to where I am now in my thinking generally. I grew up pretty much inheriting the liberal values of my parents and the university town milieu I was raised in. Those values involve a strong commitment to liberty and freedom, but balanced with an equally strong stance that in the name of equality of opportunity for all, certain liberties and freedoms need to be restricted. The larger community (represented by our elected government) has the right to set and enforce certain policies to promote if not ensure equal access to health, education and welfare (interestingly enough, the old name of the federal agency that morphed into three current ones), even at times at the expense of personal liberty, in the name of a larger good. Continue reading →