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You must know where I'm going with this by now. Too many Americans are left with "Third World" healthcare—care that is rationed according to means. But the right to care is not a luxury to be reserved for the privileged. And even those so ensnared in the ideal of rugged individualism that they would believe the survival of one is of no concern to the many must acknowledge that, by all accounts, the massive costs of servicing the world's most expensive healthcare system will ultimately bankrupt this nation.

And yet our current debate on healthcare is crowded by the shouts of those who decry "government takeover." In other areas, we've determined that free enterprise cannot be the sole solution to life and death issues. That's why we don't privatize our police and fire departments. It's why, in emergencies, we typically call out the National Guard and not "Corporation X."

Free enterprise is an amazing system for the pursuit of innovation and the encouragement of excellence. But if among our inalienable rights are those to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, then the most fundamental responsibility of government "by the people" should be to enable the people to have those most basic rights. No right is more basic than the right to life, yet in a nation where the most vocal proponents of that right are the most immovable barriers to the reform of our broken healthcare system, the term itself has become more a slogan than a sincere belief.

If there is medicine to save me, the value of my life should not be measured according to the contents of my wallet. It is not only the right of government to guarantee this, it is its responsibility.

People from across the globe have come to this country in pursuit of better lives. That life should include better treatment than what we receive in the poorest parts of the world. The world's greatest democracy should have better than a Third World system of healthcare. Anything less would truly be un-American.

Derrick N. Ashong, or DNA as he is sometimes known, is a Ghana, West Africa, native and has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture and politics. Ashong has lectured on five continents on the use of media as a tool for human development, including recent talks at the London School of Economics, King's College (Cambridge), the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C., the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and before UK Parliament on the subject of "The Obama Generation." He is a member of the internationally recognized Next Generation Leadership Forum and a participant in the Arts & Entertainment task force of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. Ashong is a Harvard graduate and resides in Los Angeles where he is the leader of the band Soulfège.

What do you think about Derrick's commentary? Share your opinion below.

The opinions expressed by Oprah.com contributors are strictly their own.

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