Comment by nindalf | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nindalf | Hacker News Reader

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> Maybe when enough of us have been harmed?

The more harm is done, the less likely that people will support a public option. After paying ruinous bills, they would resent now paying increased taxes for “other peoples’ bills”. Why should I help others when no one was around to help me when I needed it? The more polarised society gets, the less likely that any person feels they should help “freeloaders” in that society. This is a bit handwavey, but people support a large public safety net in societies that where many have already benefited from that safety net and the society is somewhat homogenous.

(I live in a society with socialised healthcare, so this doesn’t apply to me. I don’t espouse these views personally.)

Even a majority of Republicans support single payer. Something like 70% of all Americans support it.

This situation didnt come about as a result of democracy. This $13,000 bill is a physical manifestation of where democracy and American parasitic oligarchy clash.

It doesn't matter. As long as you don't have a support of the rich nothing gets done in this country.

Truth.

A commenter below talked about cost. That's the answer. It has to cost more to keep it this way. Then it will change.

> The more harm is done, the less likely that people will support a public option.

I don't think that is the case most of the time. If anything, suffering makes people more likely to be sympathetic. For instance: people with low incomes, and those without private healthcare are more likely to support socialized healthcare in the United States.[1] These are the people most likely to have been stuck with ruinous healthcare bills.

[1] PDF Warning : https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/100752...

Why would you need higher taxes?

The NHS in 2019 cost around £2000 a head (£115b for 56 million people in England)

That would be a budget of £700b, or $950b, in the US to cover 350m people.

Medicare and Medicaid cost $1400b in 2019 combined, 50% more than needed to fund the NHS.

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