I pay a modest amount to some bloggers directly via Patreon for what I could otherwise get for free. I'm also considering doing the same for The Guardian (though that gets me the removal of ads). It's not out of the question that I would want to do the same for Medium.
I would miss them if they went away or had to change direction to monetise in new ways that reduced their value to me. Is this so bad?
I contribute $54/month on Patreon and $10/month on YouTube Red for creators.
Having said that I think people will struggle with Medium because Patreon is sold on a personal relationship with a given creator and genuinely wanting more from them. Seems like that won't work so well with Medium.
I like Medium though
I would be willing to do the same for high-quality news and opinion. So far, there's far too much chaff in the wheat, and I don't think Medium is the answer. I hope people keep trying, though. Quality journalism is genuinely important.