Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: 'We Should Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit First.' Bill Clinton Wades Into the Health Care Debate [View all]ehrnst
(32,640 posts)Last edited Mon Nov 18, 2019, 07:23 PM - Edit history (1)
One of the mechanisms by which Medicare is funded is that way more people pay into it than utilize it, just like Social Security.
It's not about "simplicity," or "the elderly hogging all the good stuff." It was created because private insurance wouldn't cover them, ro would charge a fortune to cover them, because statistical and actuarial calculations meant that they would incur more costs. And they do. (and no, before you start, I'm not defending the private insurance industry, but I'm pointing out the way that all health care costs are predicted and accounted for, anywhere on the planet.)
See also, "Why do the handicapped get the good parking spaces?" "Why did the rural areas get so much of the government investment in electrical and water infrastructure in the New Deal?" "Why are the services of St. Judes' available only to cancer patients who are children?"
Most nations with universal health care do not use single payer, but a variety of funding mechanisms and administrative measures. Especially those with large populations - and very few are as large as the US.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden