I'm just glad Idon't py taxes for someone to gettheir feellings checked
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deleted
· 8 years ago
problem is that us healthcare is twice as expensive as anyone elses even if they don't get their feelings checked. Ab Americans don't understand that they have to pay through their paycheck if they don psy through taxes. Things have to be paid no matter what. Single payer is just extremely much cheaper. Theory and practice gives overwhelming evidence for this fact.
The current U.S. gov health-care systems: Medicare, Medicad, VA, military, etc. already spend more per capita than most OECD nations. We are spending almost as high a percentage of GDP as every other country, just to cover a fraction of our population. The general theory of why government makes health care cheaper is that they receive discounts for buying in bulk. The problem is that U.S. health insurers already buy in bulk and cover more people than many other countries (so the government wouldn't have much more bargaining power). While single-payer may be cheaper elsewhere, how exactly would it be cheaper here?
Regarding Canada's free health care, per the 2010 Commonwealth Fund international report on health care systems, "Roughly two-thirds of Canadians have supplementary private insurance coverage, many through employment-based group plans, which cover services such as vision and dental care, prescription drugs, rehabilitation services, home care, and private rooms in hospitals." And per the OECD Health Project, that figure is actually closer to 75%. That means, depending on how one calculates the estimate, roughly 70% of people in Canada, despite having universal healthcare, do not have satisfactory healthcare. If they did, they wouldn't need to buy additional coverage to fill in all the missing gaps.
It's still pretty fucking cool to break both of your legs, get laid up in the hospital for a month and not pay a dime.
Also private rooms in hospitals are a luxury, not a medical necessity, so they shouldn't be on that list.
I mean I get what you're saying, but you and the taxpayers pay for it. The cost doesn't just disappear.
Also, the list doesn't need to constrain itself to medical necessity. Dental care, rehabilitation services and home care, strictly speaking, aren't medical necessities.
Taxpayers also pay for schools, roads, emergency services, etc. Would you rather have that tax money back and pay every time you use something? I don't understand why "you have to pay it in taxes" is a bad thing.
But who are the tax payers? Roughly 40% of Americans pay no income tax. According to the CBO, the top 20% of Americans pay about 84% of ALL taxes. Why is that fair? "You have to pay it in taxes" is a bad thing because so few people have to pay for all the things literally everyone uses.
"The cost doesn't just disappear."
No one's saying it does. I would rather it be this way than go into debt, or have to deal with insurance companies that may not be working to my best interests.
"Dental care, rehabilitation services and home care, strictly speaking, aren't medical necessities."
Yeah, but they're arguably not luxuries either.
"Why is that fair?"
The better question is "Why is it like that?" You're kind of moving the goal posts.
And I would rather it be the way it is. The difference is I won't use the state to force you to go with my plan, which is precisely what socialized medicine does. Also, I took the list directly from a Commonwealth Fund International report and see no need to make a distinction between medical necessities, luxuries, or anything else. The main point is they need supplemental insurance.
"The main point is they need supplemental insurance."
You don't *need* things that are luxuries.
"Sorry, why is it like what?"
Why do the rich pay so much more taxes than the poor?
"I don't understand what you mean by moving the goal posts."
Moving goal posts is a phrase that describes changing the subject so the original argument is subverted, generally to an argument you can win. In this case you sort of changed from "socialized medicine is bad" to "the tax system is unfair".
Also private rooms in hospitals are a luxury, not a medical necessity, so they shouldn't be on that list.
Also, the list doesn't need to constrain itself to medical necessity. Dental care, rehabilitation services and home care, strictly speaking, aren't medical necessities.
No one's saying it does. I would rather it be this way than go into debt, or have to deal with insurance companies that may not be working to my best interests.
"Dental care, rehabilitation services and home care, strictly speaking, aren't medical necessities."
Yeah, but they're arguably not luxuries either.
"Why is that fair?"
The better question is "Why is it like that?" You're kind of moving the goal posts.
You don't *need* things that are luxuries.
"Sorry, why is it like what?"
Why do the rich pay so much more taxes than the poor?
"I don't understand what you mean by moving the goal posts."
Moving goal posts is a phrase that describes changing the subject so the original argument is subverted, generally to an argument you can win. In this case you sort of changed from "socialized medicine is bad" to "the tax system is unfair".