Anonymous
asked:
I can explain why free healthcare isn't viable in America right now. The money isn't there. We just had a government shutdown not even two years ago because we didn't have the money for current expenses, and our solution was that we HAD to borrow more. If we added free health care, we would not be able to afford it.
alskylark
answered:

Honestly that argument isn’t very strong? The United States spends WAY MORE on health care than any other country in the world, topping the Nords whom invest heavily in it AND have free health care. Not only that, but even though you spend more, your citizens aren’t better cared for. So it’s obviously not a problem of funding.

Honestly, I ain’t American so all I can say is “Europe this, free that”, but if you ask me: With just a little glimpse of how it works in the US I’d say that the only reason why free healthcare isn’t viable is simply because of the insurance system you guys have embedded both in your culture and society. It wouldn’t stand as a surprise if the insurance industry was putting barriers everywhere in order to make free healthcare not viable in America.

bevendre

That’s actually largely true.  Many politicians, especially in Congress, end up getting a LOT of political funding from insurance companies and from pharmaceutical companies, which encourages them to prevent any legislation from passing that might harm those backers.

It’s not that we don’t have the money, it’s that our budgeting priorities are extremely backwards and stupid.

Source: alskylark