I don't know, but the hit TV series "Breaking Bad" is about someone becoming a drug lord to finance his chemotherapie treatments because he's too poor to pay the doctor, and that premise didn't strike Americans as particularly odd. 😏
Discussion
Yeah. They think this barbarosity is normal. It is not...
I don't exactly think you are wrong in saying that despite your judgement. Many of us grew up with a belief that the world has a natural state of depravity, capacity for harm, and chaos. We must do all we can to protect ourselves and communities at all cost. That's the way the world has always been. There was no such thing as healthcare, let alone one that EVERYONE deserves access to off the backs of hard working people. That's it, we're not a homogeneous culture, we don't all have the same goals and some want to protect those goals or dreams, and others want to watch them burn.
Again not necessarily my views, I think this position accurately reflects myself and my peers.
"it's a republic... if you can keep it"
What do you mean there was not such a thing as healthcare? And why do you say that not everyone deserves access and why do you assume that it will happen on the backs of hard working people? 🤷
Hard working people are the people who currently often aren't getting health care, in the US. Unemployed people get Medicaid and older people all get Medicare.
You split my statement up, it was meant as a whole.
> why do you assume that it will happen on the backs of hard working people?
Because we already do. The federal government pays for up to $220/month for individual health insurance. If you make between like 22k and 50k you get a subsidy included in your premium payment. Which is called a median "silver" plan. In most places it's better coverage and support than provided by large corporations as "benefits", completely free, no hoops, sign up online. State regulated health insurance the only legal option I have as a business owner. If I or my business makes over a certain amount I pay extra OVER the cost of the plan. Meaning I have to pay more for the same insurance coverage because I made more than the threshold for median income. But if my total anual income (including the business) makes less than about 48k/yr I can get money back on my insurance premium. If I make $22,500/year or less, _and_ choose a silver insurance package, my insurance is completely paid for. If I choose better coverage I pay the difference.
This isn't even medicare or medicaid, which is arguably worse in terms of providers, paperwork, and support.
I have a family member, who refuses to work. He over 30 now, and never works. He lives off disability, believes the world owes him housing, food, water, and his regular ER visit and refill on medial marijuana script. Whos funding his ability to live like this? Whos paying for his ability to remain unemployed, get high, and play video games all day?
Does he deserve to get turned down for a legitimate issue, absolutely not, and you don't get to paint me as evil for suggesting that not _everyone_ that appears in the hospital deserves to get FREE attention.
What I think Im trying to say is, if you take $500/month out of my paycheck in insurance premium, or in my tax bill it's the same thing, except I personally believe, it's likely the state will make a mess of it, because it already has.
While I don't have the stats, I believe Thomas Sowell would describe what we have now as price fixing. Look how well that usually goes.
To be clear this is assuming you are advocating for state run/socialize healthcare. If you aren't and can bring my prices down, I'm all ears, bug I'm biased to believe you'd be speaking utopian.
To be even more clear, the federal government already regulates the price of healthcare with the "open marketplace". They fix the price and coverage.
The system you have is unfixable and worse than you described it. It is made for profit and exploitation. You cannot fix that, so there is no solution with such a base, you have to change that. So i am not talking about a system with such a base (see my others comments on the thread too). Forget about USA and its monstrosity even though it is all you know. Take another country as an example. There are other ways out there and you have one of the worst or the worst.
Oh, but thanks for the extensive answer.
Yeah, the US has some good hospitals, but the insurance system is terrible. Both public and private insurance are totally bonkers over there.
Even if you pay cash, the prices are often weirdly inflated.
