Affordable healthcare – it really shouldn’t be this hard when there is so much agreement. Nearly everyone agrees seniors, children, and disabled should have access. And the same goes for those with pre-existing conditions. Workers and their spouses should also, even if there isn’t agreement on how, or whether or not it should be required.
About the only groups of people there are disagreements about are non-workers that can work and non-citizens. But even there we already have a standing “understanding” that anyone that comes to the emergency room will be treated. So we implicitly provide some level of healthcare to those, even if its the least effective and most costly.
There is also agreement that costs should be lowered. The informed on both sides agree that implies we should do something about those uninsured groups that get the most costly care. Similarly, the informed on both sides agree mathematically that means we need to get the uninsured by choice in the system also, since that spreads the costs out.
There is also high agreement that things like preventive care will lower costs in the long term. Similarly for reproductive benefits for women and mental health benefits and so on. Again, there is disagreement on the how, or whether it should be required, but the principles are agreed upon by the vast majority of informed on both sides.
I could go on – but the point has been made. So what are the problems then? There are details like universal or mandates that may appear to be significant. There are also religious or other objections about some of the specifics. But the agreements are so high, and the possible solutions so few, that those usually cited issues don’t really cut it.
The real problems are selfishness and ignorance! We want more benefits, but don’t want to pay more. We don’t want to give more to others that we don’t understand, assuming they are free-loading or otherwise undeserving. I know people that don’t have insurance and get the expensive emergency room option that think its others and not them!
Its not just people either. The insurance industry has no reason to change. Big businesses know that providing non-transferable insurance is part of employee retention. Politicians have no reason to do anything tough if they want to be re-elected. Even many of our “news” outlets are now all about pushing their agendas and not the news.
The loudest with agendas acting selfishly do everything they can to promote ignorance. Universal is socialism which is communism. Mandates are taxes and unconstitutional. States have rights and do not have to expand coverage. Blah blah blah! Do we want to fix it or not? There is significant agreement and only a few possible solutions.
The Spiritual Atheist 