Who is included in "General Welfare"?

In response to "The Body Count at Home" by Nicholas D. Kristof: 13 September, New York Times.

This health care business is tricky. It invokes anger and accusations of almost every kind. Even the President's speech on Wednesday did not escape this sort of debate, as Representative Joe Wilson so showed both houses of Congress, as well as the American people. But will we let this health care debate ruin the very principles this nation was founded upon?

Kristof gives the example of a young woman in the US who is diagnosed with lupus in her early 20s and by the age of 32, dead due to a lack of health insurance, a consequence of job-loss and a pre-existing condition. She was middle-class, college educated, and by no means lazy; she fought to be insured, but to no avail.

The question is: will we let this ideological debate cloud any sense of duty we should have for our country? Should we not have an obligation to uphold the principles of our once-great nation by promoting the "General Welfare" of all citizens, regardless of the size of their wallets and health condition?

Hypothetically, I would give the same advice as Kristof to anyone who cannot get insured: go to prison and get medical treatment, with no financial cost afforded to you. In an environment where felons get free medical services, why not?

We need a change in our willingness and policy to realize the United States as a great country once again. Let's not let our citizens "slip through the cracks." Be critical thinkers- don't be dissuaded to trust in rumors and falsehoods, but rather believe in this nation's ability to uphold its principles.