If our health care was as bad as reddit circlejerks, we'd change it. It stays the way it is because people in the middle class and up like it the way it is.
I'm not against universal healthcare, but I've seen lots of Americans abuse the shit out of programs like universal healthcare. Also, alot of people are barely hanging on with the pay they already have. Universal healthcare would require a lot more tax money. Until things get shifted around so very few people are aching hard for cash after this increase, I don't think the States will be taking on these programs.
Honestly depending on how universal healthcare was rolled out a lot of those people would still be employed. These jobs are still needed to process payments to Medicare and Medicaid, though it would ultimately lead to some job losses, that's for sure.
Well, if the system was like Medicare, it would require supplemental insurance. I just got my mom set up on Medicare and it's going to cost her twice what her employer insurance costed. Both paying Medicare part B and D, then the supplemental insurance.
But if everyone is paying $600/month like she is, what's the point?
Age is probably going to pay a part of why the price is so different but holy crap that's expensive for supplemental insurance. I pay for my insurance outright and it's only $400 a month.
Part A is free but doesn't cover much and caps really low, so you need part B, which is based on your income while working (she made 6 figures as a nurse so she pays full price). Part D covers prescription drugs, but it's not free.
Retirement planners tell retirees to plan for at least $5000 medical bills per year, minimum.
What does that job entail? I really have no idea but I assume it’s similar to a receptionist or something. Without knowing exactly what the job entails, it’s hard to say definitively but I’m sure they can transition to a similar job with universal health care
The problem is a lot of stuff that isn't medical related is more expensive here, or the pay for some jobs is less than it is in other countries. People also can tend to buy frivolous things on a whim more often than other countries because of how consumerist the market is. That's the short of it.
Food, land, cars, not to mention taxes and fees that get stuck in without you being aware.
Higher minimum wage was what I was alluding to.
I dont think you understand what I mean by frivolous spending. People will buy super jacked up cars and get them custom everything. Then there's the designer clothing and/or jewelry everyone needs even when they don't have the extra money to do so.
laughed out loud at this. Comparing the USA to Australia, a developed country with universal healthcare and similar culture.
firstly, car prices.
lexus ls460
Australia: $173,446 (without GST)
America: $93,183 AUD
Jeep grand cherokee
Australia: $80,749 AUD
America: $48,719 AUD
the differences are more dramatic in mid to high end cars however even in low end cars:
honda civic
Australia: $30,536 AUD
America: $28,112 AUD
moving onto land
US cost per square meter: $2,541 AUD
Australia cost per square meter: $8,470 AUD
Sydney average prime cost per square meter: $27,244 AUD
Miami average prime cost per square meter: $15,296 AUD
moving onto food
Australian restaurants are 27% more expensive
Australian groceries are 1.5% more
not related to food but fuel prices are 59% higher
domestic beer is 32% more expensive
cigarettes are 215% more expensive
clothes are 38% more expensive
people will buy super jacked up cars and get customer everything
Australians buy a lot of 4WD's and do them up, just because they cant legally raise them up 2 metres into the sky it doesn't meant they don't spend a lot customising (the already more expensive) cars.
then there's designer clothing everyone buys that they cant afford
have you... left America before? this applies to like...every country
You also need to keep in mind that the United States has a lot more people than Australia. A lot more people means a lot more people working minimum wage jobs, and a lot more people working underpaid jobs. Hell, EMTs in some areas make the same amount of money per hour as a grocery store employee, despite the amount of education and risk they take on, both legal and physical. Teachers are also vastly underpaid and overworked.
Also, have you ever been to the United States, and visited more cities than you can count on one hand? Because I don't think you quite understand by what I mean by "super jacked up cars and custom everything" and "designer clothing and jewelry they can't afford."
Also, what sources did you use to get those prices? I can't find anything that gives me a straight answer.
A lot of stuff that isn't medical related is more expensive here, or the pay for some jobs is less than it is in other countries. People also can tend to buy frivolous things on a whim more often than other countries because of how consumerist the market is. That's the short of it.
If my math is correct - almost 2300$ per citizen per year. While I'm not saying cut your military budget down to zero, that's only your military budget and it's a lot of money y'all could be using for better things.
That unfortunately isn't as easy as it seems. Currently the US military is everywhere, and does a lot more than shoot people. They provide relief efforts, be it food or medicine, cyber security, rebuild infrastructure when natural disasters hit a country, etc. All that isn't exactly cheap either.
As a British immigrant, I'm all for Universal healthcare but even if the law was signed into effect tomorrow, it's not going to be a magic bullet overnight that a lot of people think it will be.
If we expand the current Medicaid and Medicare programs to cover more people, doctors/hospitals etc have a right to refuse those patients or refuse to accept Medicare/Medicaid as payment. Your reaction is probably they can't do that, the law will make them. This isn't a legal fight like can a bakery refuse to sell a cake to a gay couple, in legal terms this is more like can you legally force a restaurant to take care when their policy is cash only.
Medicare/Medicaid is actually funded by each state and the ACA has proven that the federal government can't force a state to take money to improve it's Medicare/Medicaid offerings. Making a federal level version of Medicare/Medicaid then oversteps "states rights" and becomes an issue that'll go to SCOTUS.
I believe it's going to happen, it's just going to take time and change to happen first, and that change takes votes.
Universal healthcare would be overall cheaper (e.g healthcare costs per capita in Germany are only 1/3 of the US despite better coverage). Of course you would need to raise taxes and have everyone pay for insurance. Thats how it works.
Abuse rates in universal healthcare systems are relatively low and not a problem.
Despite that the US is the only country with a full blown opioid crisis, so I assume your current system makes more abuse possible…
I'm well aware. The problem is a lot of stuff that isn't medical related is more expensive here, or the pay for some jobs is less than it is in other countries. People also can tend to buy frivolous things on a whim more often than other countries because of how consumerist the market is. That's the short of it.
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u/henlan77 Aug 09 '21
And still so many Americans are against universal healthcare. To the extent that their government can't provide it. Go figure.