Having spent 13 years receiving a terrific education from the Sisters of Charity, I've always believed that access to health care is a fundamental human right. The remainder of the developed world also sees it that way, providing access to health care for their citizens.

Rights carry responsibilities. The right to drive an automobile carries with it the responsibility to purchase auto insurance. Accordingly, the right to access health care carries a concomitant responsibility to participate in the system by purchasing health insurance. Hence, the individual mandate.

It's a sad state of affairs when so many Americans display such a callous disregard for the needs of their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, some of them wind up in our Emergency Rooms following traumatic injury without sufficient resources to cover the costs of care. They consider themselves immortal and refuse to purchase health insurance. Their cost of care then gets shifted to the insured population.

I'm reasonably certain that, were they alive today, our Founding Fathers likely would have agreed that the right to health care carries with it the responsibility to participate in the health insurance system. Now, let’s pray that the Supreme Court sees it the way our Founding Fathers would.