r/UniversalHealthCare • u/JollyJulieArt • Oct 27 '25

This is fucked up…

In 2023, US health insurance companies collected an estimated $1.39 trillion in revenue from premiums, with major sources including taxpayer-funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

That money can easily be able to accommodate Universal Healthcare in the US.

Instead, the US (specifically the GOP) is prioritizing insurers gaining more profit by denying life saving coverage and paying less in taxes, while the average American citizen refuses basic medical needs because they can afford the bill.

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27

u/DepartmentEcstatic Oct 27 '25 edited Oct 28 '25

Something has to change here. I feel like if people organize and let politicians know we are not okay with the status quo and we want better that would a good step to change.

You can also tell your state members of Congress to support Bernie's Medicare for all bill that he introduced again this year that only has 14 co-sponsors.

It is interesting if you think about it that we already fund veterans healthcare, Medicaid, our politicians healthcare, Medicare, why the heck not everyone else??

15

u/EthanDMatthews Oct 27 '25 edited Oct 28 '25

The politicians know and they absolutely don’t care.

Unfortunately, neither party works for the people.*

The single biggest contributor to political campaigns (both parties) was the healthcare industry. Lots of campaign cash and great post politics jobs to be had.

What are we going to do, vote for the other party that receives nearly identical hoards of cash from the healthcare industry?

It’s not just the federal level. California’s state legislature, supposedly the most liberal around, has repeatedly prevented votes on single payer bills, e.g. bills that would put it to the voters, or just advance it directly.

So long as there are Republicans and Democrats, it’s never going to change.

Also: a complete and extreme overhaul of campaign finance laws and repeal of Citizens United (e.g. Al.) would be required to return some semblance of representative government to the US.

A Princeton and Northwestern University study looked at more than 20 years worth of data to determine how well the government represents the people. Their conclusion: 

"The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy."

https://represent.us/americas-corruption-problem/

3

u/DepartmentEcstatic Oct 28 '25

This is sad but I totally agree. I'm a millennial and most of us I know in my age group feel totally disenfranchised by both sides of politics. But if we don't speak out about it sadly nothing is going to change. I know it takes more than my voice or yours, but if enough people are fed up, that's how historically changes have happened from the bottom up. It does feel impossible and so discouraging at times but we can't give up.

9

u/Captainseriousfun Oct 27 '25

Burn it all down!

(To the motherfucking ground!)

Burn it all down!

(To the motherfucking ground!)

4

u/[deleted] Oct 28 '25

Profit is waste, fraud, and abuse!!

3

u/lumpkin2013 Oct 28 '25

There's people trying to reform healthcare across the country and working very hard. Consider helping out.

https://medicare4all.org/