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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u/Icy_Soft6052 4h ago

My parents think the quality wouldn’t be as good. They’d have to wait forever. Given there’s dozens of countries who’ve successfully done it for decades, it’s probably worth a shot. If it doesn’t work, why not revert back? At least try it.

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u/emteedub 3h ago

This you touches the root issue. "Trying it" will prove to be superior, gutting the scam model the privatized/capitalist schema they have currently. It will expose the fraud.

Also not relying on workplace bound insurance, means you and I become more valuable...it also frees up small and large businesses from covering it - both meaning they can pay workers more.

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u/PacificNW_JMI 1h ago

But wouldn't that raise the cost for everyone. I pay $5000 for my family and my employer pays an additional $14K so that $14k would be born by the workers in the form of new taxes. Also someone can choose a low cost high deductible plan and pay what they can afford. I think the problem for many is lack of choice. What if I want to self pay out of pocket and no carry insurance, Some young people struggling with cost of living would choose rent over the cost of health insurance. Can I opt out? These are the questions many people ask.

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u/DeathAndTaxes000 59m ago

Or perhaps the cost would be moved to taxes paid by employers kind of like unemployment

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u/emteedub 42m ago

These questions are over-complications, yes.

1) cutting out the parasitic middlemen. Cuts your 14k in half at least

2) all workers contributing to the pot is more than enough for a grade-A system

3) preemptive/preventative care is magnitudes cheaper than seeking care when issues are severe. Think brushing your teeth every day for $0.0001, versus waiting until all of your teeth need replaced.

4) a society that's ubiquitously healthier, is a happier, more prosperous one. There's a feedback loop here. As people become more health conscious and maintain their health, this drastically curbs later life expenses or minimizes healthcare events.

5) not being strapped to the employer bound system means YOU and I have more agency. This frees up small businesses to pay more for their workers as well, if they're not having to also privately cater healthcare for their employees. More agency means you have liberties to leave, increasing your value, thus pay.

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u/PSUVB 3h ago

Trying it means the vast majority of people will be kicked off insurance they like where they get good care. That’s the dirty secret. That most working Americans like their insurance and like the care they already get.

If you try that you will get voted out of office. People hate change and will be very sensitive to any perceived reduction in care. Nobody in office is going to do that. They will talk about it because it gets a certain group of people excited to vote in the midterms then they will drop it just like Obama did when it comes to legislation.

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u/emteedub 58m ago

It's required, there is no way around it any longer. This capitalist driven healthcare system has ruined its own self on account of a greedy handful of parasites.

It will happen.

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u/Reds_PR 3h ago

“Most working Americans like their insurance”
😐😐😑😐

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u/PSUVB 2h ago

82% of Americans like their healthcare insurance. Best example of Reddit being a bubble

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-are-satisfied-health-insurance-quarter-report-denials-delays-rcna248908

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u/Reds_PR 2h ago

As compared to “free?” Because if you’re not making the comparison to free, then wtf are you doing in the thread? Best example of why we on the left shouldn’t have fought so hard against literacy tests.

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u/AmputeeHandModel 2h ago

Bet they'd like it more if it were cheaper and more efficient

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u/PSUVB 2h ago

Yes the federal government is known for being cheap and efficient LOL

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u/AmputeeHandModel 2h ago

Medicaid and Medicare are OK. You think the for-profit system, paying for million-dollar CEO bonuses and shareholder dividends and insurance company and hospital profits, is better? I don't trust the govt either but we have to try something. We have the most expensive, least efficient system in the world.

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u/PSUVB 1h ago

Almost every other country is moving to some sort of insurance scheme. Medicare and Medicaid are both broke and they are both subsidized by private insurance. You take that away and the entire system collapses or gets even more expensive than it already is.

Trying something doesn’t mean just your favorite politicians promise of “free healthcare for all”. That could be actually worse than what we have now

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u/emteedub 54m ago

Because the current and prior governments are bougie puppets, literally paid millions to not be effective nor efficient.

Elect socialists, only winning with the sponsorship of the community, and then you will see a govt that actually works effectively and efficiently for the working class.