- Sep 23, 2005
- 31,994
- 5,856
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
That's not really the premise. It's more like the idea that many of the people who want socialized medicare tend to be the ones who don't take care of themselves, just as those who don't want to work tend to be the ones who favor more taxes on the rich and more welfare programs.
My view on this has changed over time. To me the real issue is that in the US healthcare is tied to employment. If you have a great job you are likely to have great insurance coverage. Or if you have a great job you can afford the cost of private insurance.
If you do not have as great of a job you may have poor insurance or no insurance, or a higher personal share of the cost, higher deductibles, etc.
And if you really have no skills you may be working multiple part time jobs with no benefits at all.
The issue is not primarily those who don't work due to disability, etc. They often can receive benefits and have care. The issue is that many who do work do not have access to care. And then if something does happen they go to the emergency room because they have no other choice, driving up costs for everyone.
If you have a major health event that causes you to lose your job you can lose your coverage when you need it most.
Some jobs have 30 or 60 or 90 day waiting period before health benefits start.
If you have a chronic condition you almost have to work for a company that provides health benefits, because private insurance will be far too expensive. This can limit innovation, business ownership, etc.
We are going to pay for the coverage either way. But it makes more sense to pay it through taxes so that coverage is not tied to employment.
As to the health aspect, even if you maintain your health it may protect you from having to use your coverage, but it won't shield you from the increasing premiums driven in part by other people's choices.
Upvote
0