Had a discussion with a friend on Facebook on healthcare. They were not sure about it, and wanted to know the reasons FOR and why would someone NOT want healthcare. I put together the following, and thought I should share here as well:
The only things I’ve heard are: A) namecalling (SOCIALISM!) B) we’re rushing things and C) it costs too much. One at a time:
A) Namecalling is CHILDISH. Have a cogent argument and stop the namecalling. We already have THREE forms of “socialist” healthcare in the United States and those would be 1) Medicare for the elderly 2) Medicaid for the infirm/disabled 3) the Veterans Administration for our soldiers. Have an elected official try and take away Medicare, Medicaid or the VA and see how fast they are run out of office.
B) President Truman called for national health insurance in 1948, and Democrats have been trying to get it passed ever since. 61 years is NOT rushing things.
C) The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy cost the US $1.3Trillion in funding. The war in Iraq has cost at least $1Trillion and estimates are that it would be $3Trillion by the time all is said and done. Healthcare for all would cost $1Trillion over ten years. Tax cuts for the wealthy but no healthcare?!?!?
And then furthered the conversation, when asked “can you explain to me like I am a five year old”, with:
Okay – problems with Medicare. First off, Bush “stole” surplus from the Medicare funds to use in the general budget. That should be illegal, but it’s not. It put Medicare in a bind. If we used a similar system of funding healthcare for all, we would need to make sure that could not be done.
Currently Medicare taxes come out of your check, but the withdrawals stop at about $102,000. So a person making $30,000/year always pays into Medicare but a person making $500,000/year only pays into Medicare for the first $102,000 they make. Removing that ceiling will save Medicare. And making sure the same ceiling doesn’t exist for healthcare for all will do it.
Healthcare for all would be a boon to the health insurance industry UNLESS there was a public option. Medicare, Medicaid, VA have about a 3% overhead whereas private insurance has 20% to 25% overhead. So, if you own stock in Aetna, Blue Cross, etc, it would truly suck because they would be forced to bring in costs and lower profits.
That’s it. Arguments for healthcare, combating the arguments of those against it, and revealing the true motives of those against it. Questions?