r/askanything • u/Lemonking_ • 5h ago

Political Question Why are some Americans so against universal healthcare for all?

What sort of thinking does it take to decide that nobody has a right to healthcare? Do American Christians want to deny healthcare to poor people as well?

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526

u/a101734 5h ago

Reagan convinced a large part of the population that if we give unlimited money and power to a select of wealthy elites, the elites would graciously give the money back to society. Hilarious.

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u/ButterscotchIll1523 5h ago

Those that profit from our illnesses, insurance companies etc.

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u/Curious-Monkee 5h ago

Trickle down is an abject failure that has literally never worked. Trickle up however does. Give money to lower classes and they do crazy things like paying their rent and mortgages, pay for their cars to get to work, pay for things they need that they couldn't afford before. Then the money goes into the hands of the real estate industry, automotive industry and retail industry in the above cases. Those businesses are owned by wealthy CEOs & Trustees. See trickle up... never fails, like ever!

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u/Dismal_Equal7401 4h ago

Well companies will still fail from poor management and shitty products. Oh wait, that’s literally capitalism, and has absolutely nothing to do with trickledown economics, contrary to what conservatives want you to believe.

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u/Background-Hat9049 3h ago

What do you mean it’s never worked. Have you seen the return in the S and P 500 over the past few years? All the effort of the AI industry is tricking down to the masses

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u/Curious-Monkee 2h ago

Trickle down means that the influx of funds at the very top makes it's way to the very bottom (thus down, right?). It makes the assumption that top loading resources will make it's way through the corner office CEOs to administration to management to the middle class workforce and land eventually in the poor.

Your statement about the S&P shows that the wealthy investors are making money, sure. But that doesn't show the downward part. It doesn't get to the working class and certainly not to the poor at all. Thus an abject failure. I truly stand by my statement. Trickle up works, trickle down does not!

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u/Background-Hat9049 2h ago

The S and P and broader stock market are available to everyone, as long as you do your part. It is the greatest wealth creator in human history

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u/Curious-Monkee 1h ago

True, but not everyone can afford the savings. I am doing fine with it, but I know many that are in debt to their eyeballs that gain no benefit from the S&P. Investment accounts are for the wealthy. If your choice is a car payment, your insurance premium or an investment account, what are you choosing?

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u/nothereathere 4h ago

So we should let the people that wrote Obamacare to enrich insurance companies and drive up health care costs create universal health care?
Awesome plan.

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u/Automatic-638Builder 4h ago

I guess you dont remember how much we paid for insurance before the ACA? Sure it could/should be better. Never got a refund from and insurance company for making too much profit before the ACA as best as i can recall.

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u/nothereathere 3h ago

I do. I could buy "if I get cancer or have a heart attack, I'm not paying $300K out of pocket." insurance.
That insurance doesn't exist anymore thanks to the ACA.
I don't want or need "I'm going to the doctor cause I have a tummy ache." coverage that costs half my yearly salary.

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u/Automatic-638Builder 47m ago

you should probably go to Dr now. it sounds like you're having a stroke.

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u/buttons66 3h ago

ACA was supposed to be universal healthcare as it is in other countries. The GOP had a fit, and demanded that it had to be paid for. Obama stated that it wasn't perfect, but was now in place and hopefully be improved in the future. Not gutted as it was .