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We can't find the money for a national healthcare system to help US citizens as an essential service much like we fund the fire fighters or police officers, but we have enough money to:
-Fund Taiwan's defense against China
-Fund Israel's war in Gaza
-Fund Ukraine's war
-Fund Ukrainian pensions and other civil services
-Spent $1.9 Trillion in Iraq, with future expenses estimated to push it to $2.4 Trillion
-Spend as much money on the military as the next 6 countries combined
-Spent $2,260 Billion in Afghanistan
-Spent $83 Billion training the Afghan military that disintegrated
-Left behind $7 Billion in weapons in Afghanistan
-We're building more military bases in Syria
-$245 Billion in TARP to bail out big businesses
-$22 Billion to bail out 2 failed banks in 2023, including bailouts above the FDIC limit so it was helping the rich who didn't follow the rule
-$1.7 Billion a year in maintenance on empty government buildings
-$3 million to study if hamsters on steroids are more aggressive
The US federal government spends a larger percentage of the budget on healthcare, across all of it's programs, than do ANY nation that provides universal healthcare.
Don't we have enough money for national healthcare?
In the computer age, money grows on electrons and federal officials can issue new money at will; in fact by now they do it four-five even more times per year.
So it’s not a question of enough money.
Question is, what is the real quality of goods and services actually in circulation, where and how they are distributed, and who has access to what quality?
In what goods or services do you notice an abundance of but a deterioration in quality?
Or what goods and services on US soil could be of better quality but are being held back because US policymakers focus a noticeable amount of their attention on their military business ventures abroad?
In any case, “national” health care is a vexed question and it is unlikely that a majority of people would even agree what the expression actually means in terms of reality on the ground. One thing seems certain, we have a hodgepodge of overpriced health care financing and delivery systems that overall produce mediocre results (see above).
If the people themselves can't afford their own healthcare, then the government can't afford their health care. We also can't afford the other things you mentioned. It's not like if the government pays for it, medical procedures magically cost less than if individual consumers pay for it. In fact, medical providers are likely to raise the prices more if they know big government is flipping the bill than if the patient is paying out of pocket.
The VA, Social Security and the border are all government run disasters and you want to entrust the same people with your healthcare?
Absolutely not.
Now, I was on national health care for 30 years in Japan and their health care system is rated as very good.
One reason it works as well as it does is simple: Almost everyone as well as their company (if they work full-time) contributes. This is what helps keep health care premiums affordable.
But I don't see this happening in the US. My guess is sizable number here will pay nothing. And without everyone kicking in it will be difficult to keep premiums down.
Another reason is Japanese efficiency. To be sure Japan has plenty of problems, but government services are generally efficient.
Unfortunately, I don't have much faith the US government could deliver health care as well.
Today I am on Medicare with supplemental coverage/drug plan. Two days after getting on Medicare I went to a gastrologist for a chronic problem (watery diarrhea.) The doctor performed a colonoscopy and ran some tests. He discovered I had collagenous colitis. I was prescribed Budesonide which has been a great help.
While living in Tokyo I went to several gastrologists and was prescribed antibiotics which never worked very well. The problem (imo) is the large number of patients they treat. Here's a prescription, take these pills... NEXT. My visits were always in and out. My overall experience with the Japanese national health care system it's a tradeoff.
Everyone is covered and the premiums are affordable, but the quality of care isn’t as good as in the US or at least not in my experience.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by QuakerBaker
We can't find the money for a national healthcare system to help US citizens as an essential service much like we fund the fire fighters or police officers, but we have enough money to:
-Fund Taiwan's defense against China
-Fund Israel's war in Gaza
-Fund Ukraine's war
-Fund Ukrainian pensions and other civil services
-Spent $1.9 Trillion in Iraq, with future expenses estimated to push it to $2.4 Trillion
-Spend as much money on the military as the next 6 countries combined
-Spent $2,260 Billion in Afghanistan
-Spent $83 Billion training the Afghan military that disintegrated
-Left behind $7 Billion in weapons in Afghanistan
-We're building more military bases in Syria
-$245 Billion in TARP to bail out big businesses
-$22 Billion to bail out 2 failed banks in 2023, including bailouts above the FDIC limit so it was helping the rich who didn't follow the rule
-$1.7 Billion a year in maintenance on empty government buildings
-$3 million to study if hamsters on steroids are more aggressive
It really comes down to priorities and the health of US citizens isn't a top priority, the above things are deemed more important so they get done.
Shouldn't we demand more of our elected officials to spend some of that money at home here on taking care of our wellbeing?
If people are serious about a single payer national healthcare scheme, free college, etc, etc... they have to lose the "tax the rich" only nonsense the single payer advocates have been yammering on about forever, and realize that everybody has to have skin in the personal income taxes game. All the way dooooown the line to the bottom percentiles.
THAT is how the scandinavian model is done.
In Denmark (Bernie Sanders go to reference for years), if you make a salary at the national median range (around 55K per year or so, somewhat recently) or higher, a 60% tax rate is applied. And it is a real 60% you give up, not like the typical 60% rate we have here in the U.S with a bazillion credits and exceptions.
The rate is lower at the very bottom percentiles, but they all pay in
Oh, and add a hefty VAT on top of it, paid by all.
Stop with the distractions about the evil rich, and fed govt waste. (We all hate the waste)
Do the hard work and push the tax rates down low where they need to be for these social schemes to work.
We have money, but the value is eroding due to inflation caused by reckless fiscal policy/spending. Since the quality of the money is going down, expect the quality of care to be less than desirable. And it will only get worse from that point on...
Don't confuse money with wealth. While we have both, creating more money isn't the same as creating more wealth. When too much money is created at once, it can actually destroy wealth, shock the system, disrupt ordinary life and civilization as we know it, etc.
National healthcare will cost a percentage increase in taxes to pay for it. Those who pay less than that amount in premiums from work provided insurance wont want to pay more. Most people get their insurance from their job.
People assume national healthcare has to mean govt run facilities, but it could take the form of Medicare for all using private providers as is currently done with Medicare.
A Medicare for all system could make it easier to change jobs, open businesses, and not have to deal with insurance networks.
It probably would have been smarter to do that for Obamacare instead of the multiple insureres and networks it has.
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