Advertisement Johnson: Access to health care a 'privilege' Wisconsin senator addresses New Berlin West students during forum on politics, journalism, government Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson on Friday morning told a group of high school students that they don't have a right to health care, food and shelter. The Republican's statement in the auditorium at New Berlin West High School was in response to a question posed during a forum with students interested in politics, journalism and government. "Do you personally consider healthcare as a privilege or a right?" one student inquired.Wisconsin's senior senator did not hesitate: "I think it's probably more of a privilege."He continued: "Do you consider food a right? Do you consider clothing a right? Do you consider shelter a right? What we have as rights is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Past that point, we have the right to freedom. Past that point is a limited resource that we have to use our opportunities given to us to afford those things."Johnson then referred to comments made by Sen. Rand Paul more than six years ago when Paul compared the "right to health care" to slavery. He said the task of public officials is to create an environment that grows the economy so that more people can enjoy the "privilege" of food, shelter and health care.Other students asked about the opioid epidemic and whether Johnson blames doctors or pharmaceutical companies for contributing to the crisis. Johnson responded by saying there is no one thing or person to blame."We've got an enormous problem and it starts with education. It starts with awareness. It starts with knowledge," he said. Johnson also discussed the need for manufacturing jobs and said a two-year technical school degree could be many people's ticket right into the workforce.Get breaking news alerts with the WISN 12 mobile app or with our email newsletters.