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One reason Republicans are against universal healthcare

posted 2 years ago by damocci (1514)
33 replies | jump to latest

https://www.quora.com/Why-aren-t-Republican-voters-more-upset-about-the-terrible-healthcare-system-we-have-in-America-Do-they-get-an-absurdly-expensive-medical-bill-and-think-Yeah-this-is-fine/answer/Tim-Froese?ch=10&oid=289224997&share=2902475a&srid=tbQr&target_type=answer

Why aren’t Republican voters more upset about the terrible healthcare system we have in America? Do they get an absurdly expensive medical bill and think, “Yeah, this is fine”?

In the early 1990s in very conservative Bakersfield California, a close co-worker told me that an expensive medical bill broke up his marriage. His daughter, who was about 12 at the time, was born with a medical issue and stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks after her birth. Thankfully, she was okay and would go on to grow into a bright little girl.

Worrying about a sick child is more than any new parent should have to bear. But in his case, the financial stress made it far worse. He could not take time off work as a trucker while his daughter was in the hospital, but his boss gave him short-haul routes so he could be at the hospital every evening.

Then they got the bill. It was pages long and almost $100,000, with everything itemized down to the last q-tip. This would have been in 1980, and he would have been 22 years old. He didn’t have insurance. He couldn’t pay the bill and eventually had to declare bankruptcy. Worse, his marriage could not survive that level of financial and personal stress and they divorced when their daughter was learning to walk.

It was the early 1990s when he told me this, at the time the Clintons were trying to push their healthcare reforms. I was a young Canadian living in the US, and although I wasn’t particularly politically-conscious, I often got into discussions about health care, taxes, and military spending - most often because conservative Californians were vocal about those being Canada’s biggest faults

So I asked my co-worker why he remained so dead-set against government-funded healthcare after for-profit healthcare derailed his life. He said “Because it’s socialist.” That was it. End of story.

He didn’t say the expensive bill was fine. He was bitter about it. But socialism was worse.

It was such a sore spot that I was careful not to challenge his beliefs. But I tried to figure this point out in my other conversations on the topic, including with the owner of a moving company who could not afford health or disability insurance but was always one slip away from a serious injury.

Why are publicly-funded roads and schools fine, but not hospitals? Who pays for the fire department - insurance companies and people whose houses are on fire? No. (Maybe in some places, but not in Bakersfield.) The public (aka taxpayers) pays for roads, schools, fire and police departments because that works best for everyone. Why is healthcare different?

I never got a good answer to that question.

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

could you imagine government run healthcare? and that being your only option? as of now the government cant even take care of a few million veterans. could you imagine the chaos of letting 330 million people have access to healthcare?

there is currently a trial going on about the living conditions on military bases, regarding toxic mold. the government wont even pay the bill to fix that issue. if the government cant take care of Veterans then why would one expect them to take care of a regular person?

on the flip side, could you imagine if we had access to the same healthcare as those in Washington? everyone would be living into their 90's.

if the government stopped giving away trillions to other Countries, then everyone would probably have free healthcare. but for some reason, we would rather give money to other Countries then help ourselves.

Anyone remember that President that said "America First"?

[–] Leodicaprio (6426) 2 years ago

we dont have to we can look at the entire world idiot

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world

it has FAR BETTER outcomes and works better than the US LOL which ranks 18th. every single one of them, (except Singapore I believe) has a public system

WHOOOOOOPPPSSSSS

with the US spending the most per capita!!

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true

WHOOOOOOPPSSSSSS

"if the government stopped giving away trillions to other Countries, then everyone would probably have free healthcare. but for some reason, we would rather give money to other Countries then help ourselves.

Anyone remember that President that said "America First"?"

1. you take what people already pay privately, tax a similar amount. use that for healthcare. in fact tax way less, because insurance companies are robbing Americans blind. wowwwwwwwwwwwwwww imagine your brain being so low functioning you couldn't figure that out

2. where did trump run on universal healthcare???? ill wait for the citation. you down just get to reference a vague tagline and apply it to anything that supports your argument clown

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

so you want a single run healthcare system thats run by the Government? lol like I said, the government cant even take care of Veterans. 335 million instantly having access to healthcare would never work. you would be waiting in lines for 6 months to see a doctor. right now, I can get in and out of the doctors office in a hour.

America First refers to a policy stance in the United States that generally emphasizes nationalism and non-interventionism. The term was coined by president Woodrow Wilson in his 1916 campaign that pledged to keep America neutral in World War I. A more isolationist approach gained prominence in the interwar period (1918–1939) and was advocated by the America First Committee, a non-interventionist pressure group against U.S. entry into World War II.

[–] Leodicaprio (6426) 2 years ago

damn I gotta educate your ass again. I see you ran away form your nonsense conflation of water loss and man made global warming. you are fucking stupid.

yes. do you even read my posts? yes 18 countries governments are running it BETTER than the US. derp derp

yes the republicans constantly cut funds to veteran healthcare, then ct shocked when the agency doesnt function. then say "I am shocked!!! it is not working! we need to cut it more!"

https://budget.house.gov/publications/report/president-trump-s-extreme-budget-cuts-hurt-veterans

"335 million instantly having access to healthcare would never work. you would be waiting in lines for 6 months to see a doctor. right now, I can get in and out of the doctors office in a hour. "

says who. every public system was at one time a private one. they made the switch.

derp derp.

yes and trump used america first too. so again what did he do to help with healthcare?

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

As usual you are wrong. It is not government run, it is government paid for. There is a certain amount of regulation, like people who work as doctors have to be doctors, etc. You're for that, right?

The government doesn't work because it is able to hide its corruption until people get furious. Then they fire hate and lies at the furious people to temporarily dissipate them.

These corruptions of the government, that show as incompetencies and that purposefully bring blame on the government, are supported the people at the tippy-top, they want their overseer, their one competition, their one regulator to be untrusted by people so they can further weaken it and then take control, as has happened.

It happened through both parties. Every other developed country in the world can manage universal health care for their citizens, there is no reason American can't except that it refuses to recognize and throw out the parasites ... in other words Americans have been convinced by their parasites that change is the disease. Pretty slick, huh?

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

government run, or government paid for, single payer, its semantics.

change is not necessarily the disease. the government is the disease. the US government sends out trillions every year to other Countries, entities, organization's, etc. as Trump question once: why do we give $800b to NATO every year?

https://spendmenot.com/blog/us-foreign-aid-per-country/
1. Afghanistan receives an average of $7,454,639,320 in foreign aid from the US per year. (what a waste of money)

2. Russia receives an average of $274,780,483 in foreign aid from the US per year. (I wonder if we still send them money?)

5. Pakistan receives an average of 906,705,658 in foreign aid from the US per year. (remember when Bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan?)

It took our government 21 years to pass a law to help those affected by burn pits. and people want the government in charge of healthcare?

the US government is a perpetual status quo corrupt and greed machine that can never be stopped, it can only be directed to a new path. Which Trump tried to do, but it was put back on the original path.

politicians could care less about the American people, they are only in it to serve their own purposes. which is greed, corruption and power. its a constant battle of making the other party look bad.

Trump was basically our last hope but unfortunately he was voted out in a shady election, now we are reaping what others sowed.

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

That's BS

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

In spite of the very serious flaws of all single-payer proposals, the popularity of the idea appears to be increasing. One reason for this is a change in terminology: Single-payer supporters use other terms, like “Medicare for all” or “universal coverage” to push the idea, moving away from the term “socialized medicine,” which appropriately calls to mind images of rationing, control, and reduced quality of care.

But despite the words they use, the ideas are the same.

Tellingly, the new CAP government healthcare plan would essentially eliminate the popular Medicare Advantage program, replacing it with “Medicare Choice,” which is Orwellian doublespeak. Medicare Choice would be optional, yes, but unlike Medicare Advantage, there would be no choice in plan. It would simply be a government-administered add-on to the “Medicare Extra” plan.

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

> But despite the words they use, the ideas are the same.

Doesn't matter if they were the same or were not.

You just want to at a non-factual level use a word to vilify and idea that you will not honestly talk about, that you continue to use attacks that were popular 100 years ago. All you are doing is supporting the rip-off of billions of dollars by insurance companies ... so maybe you get some of that money in some way to managing troll-bots online, or maybe you are just really rich, which I doubt because you spend all your time here. So, the alternative is just stupid and deluded like the old man in that movie "The Brainwashing of my Father" about Fox News. Not a real advertisement for your ability to educate yourself on issues and analyze them fairly.

Government paid for ... when are you going to get your facts straight?

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

"Government paid for" its paid by us! its called taxes. I get thousands taken out of my paycheck every month to pay for Medicare. I dont have a choice, the government gets their money one way or another. and then they take a certain percent and pay for social programs. Social security, Medicare, Medicaid only work because working citizens are forced to pay into it.

and yes insurance companies rip us off and get rich. I dont like it either but thats just how things are these days. oil companies are overcharging us and getting rich. people in Washington get rich, lobbyists get rich. its just how things work and the status quo rolls on. Trump tried to change things but the majority didnt want him, now we are stuck with the status quo again. as long as we keep voting in career politicians nothing will change.

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

Trump tried to change things, huh? He tried to lie to everyone and make things even worse. Don't try to push that BS off on the reader. If Trump really had any idea of what kind of health care program to suggest - why did he play that stupid game that - you only get to hear the Trump plan when he gets re-elected. That means no-fucking-plan ... more Trump and Republican BS lies.

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

forgot to post this

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/375810-no-matter-what-you-call-it-government-run-health-care-will-never-work/

No matter what you call it, government-run health care will never work

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

It works all over the world liar.

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

in a Country that has 6 million people it does.

The Center for American Progress (CAP) — a progressive organization, as their name implies — has produced a new single-payer health plan called Medicare Extra for All. Like other government-centric healthcare proposals, this plan rests on the fatal conceit that the government can manage the health care needs and choices of all of its citizens.

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

Government manages Medicare far better and more economically than any health insurance company. You are so full of lies and excre

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

ah no again, I get thousands taken out of my paycheck every month to pay for Medicare. who would pay for Medicare if 335 million people instantly had access to it? if it had started in the 50's then it might have worked but its too late now, we have too many illegals and homeless that would get free health care paid for by working citizens.

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

Wake up and look at the facts. What Americans unequally and unfairly pay today in taxes and in insurance premiums is far more than it takes to pay for the country's healthcare. Your financial liability is far reduces by Medicare For All in any incarnation. But, even if your personal financial cost is not ( which is is for 95% of Americans ) it is for most people - and it prevents the killing bankruptcies that break up and destroy families. Your deal is that you do not care about good governance, or making the government work, you support any irrational BS from the Republican party, not matter how senseless it is.

[–] UncleRuckis (2627) 2 years ago

"could you imagine government run healthcare? and that being your only option? "

Yeah that's called Active Duty Military!

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

ONLY 64 MILLION MEDICARE RECIPIENTS ...

Overall, the vast majority of adults 65 and older with Medicare coverage (94%) report being very satisfied or satisfied with the quality of their medical care and the availability of specialists.

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

https://spendmenot.com/blog/us-foreign-aid-per-country/
1. Afghanistan receives an average of $7,454,639,320 in foreign aid from the US per year. (what a waste of money)

2. Russia receives an average of $274,780,483 in foreign aid from the US per year. (I wonder if we still send them money?)

5. Pakistan receives an average of 906,705,658 in foreign aid from the US per year. (remember when Bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan?)

Maybe we need to stop giving money to other Countries and start helping American citizens first.

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

You should read up on how American foreign aid works. It's clear you think we just drop bills off.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (9187) 2 years ago

I think those stories are mostly fake. Most people are not so stupid that when the facts are half-way laid out of them and have some time to percolate into unconsciousness, where they are not so disruptive, when life serves them up evidence that what they currently think doesn't describe reality anymore, the next thing they fill that space up with is something that is simple, unladed with psychological overtones, and explains the situation correctly.

Americans 40 years ago were very trusting people and the reality slide-off came about very slowing in the media and not everyone perceived it the same way, and there were always side narratives in the media blocking people's clear vision.

Then there are always the agents of the establishment in society that are so into the game they don't ever question reality, much less what to do if they got the wrong answers.

There are a lot of simple things that we got taught wrong. Like Capitalism and Democracy as the same thing - then we can have all these useless rights to bicker, yell or insult anyone, to own and carry weapons, but you have no power at work, and that your own country, your society is really seeking to make everyone homeless by driving their wages down to ZERO.

When people realize their lives are not charmed and they are in the same boat as everyone else ... but it is hard to see that something.

[–] Keelai (34864) 2 years ago

The GOP receives political donations from large corporations and rich people who don't want to pay for it. They only care about themselves.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Women who vote democrat care more for abortion rights than they do for universal healthcare and because of that there will never be universal healthcare in the USA.

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

In 10 years, but it will take the overthrow of the Republican massive cash junta.

[–] Gd5150 (11750) 2 years ago

It’s actually really simple. Anything run by the government at taxpayer expense will cost 1000% more than it should, and provide a garbage product. Just like public education. And Obamacare. And the post office. And the military. And the US government. And NASA.

The government exists to provide for itself. Its the biggest monopoly there is. Their existence relies on not accomplishing anything.

Any questions?

[–] brux (14724) 2 years ago

I have found that not to be the case at all, in fact quite the opposite. My city government manages its own energy. We have lower rates and better service than surrounding cities that get their power from PG&E.

The post office delivers mail at a fraction of the cost of the competition.

Since the 1980's our city has also experimented with outsourcing things like Animal Control, Park Rangers, Garbage collection, etc. Every single time they do something like this employment goes down in the city, the price for the services goes up, and the quality goes down.

You're totally full of excro.

[–] rushington (765) 2 years ago

where do you live brux?

[–] JoWilli (19972) 2 years ago

I was wondering the same thing. PG&E is an American company. must live in Hooterville.

[–] CraigC (8177) 2 years ago

The government can’t make a profit selling pussy, who wants them in charge of healthcare???

Bottom line, this is for the freeloaders.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

I'm sure you take NOTHING from ANYONE EVER, effin' liar.

[–] CraigC (8177) 2 years ago

No, I write a big check April 15th. My health insurance costs me $1350 a month. My wife's is $800. So go fuck yourself.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 2 years ago

I don't want 30-55% of my income taken from me to pay for someone else's healthcare. Not my problem or responsibility.