- It'd cost us anywhere from $30-40 TRILLION over the next decade
- From this column: "The federal government estimates that national healthcare spending will total about $48 trillion over the next 10 years as costs keep going up."As in, we were planning on spending $48 trillion already - so really, the estimates of $30-40 trillion represent a steep discount.
- We'd be paying for others' health insurance under a Medicare for All system.
- Do you have friends? Sometimes you chip in a bit extra to be more inclusive and it is what it is.
- Immigrants without legal status would benefit
- Do you have basic empathy? This is honestly the health care version of the "leave a penny" tray at 7-11 or another convenience stores. Don't be a selfish prick.
Aside from that, there's this theoretical aspect of Medicare for All that just makes sense. As currently structured, everyone who urgently needs it gets medical care - at the emergency room. We're talking heart attacks, strokes, severe wounds, etc. etc. Are these procedures more or less expensive than regular visits to the doctors/preventive care? DEFINITELY more expensive (an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the emergency room being the pound of cure).
So let's compare this to eating out in a group where everyone has agreed to split the check evenly. Social etiquette dictates you order something "reasonable" - you don't wanna be the asshole that ordered surf and turf while the neighbors to your left and right got spaghetti with meatballs and grilled chicken over rice, respectively. If you DON'T want to pay for your neighbors' meals (emergency room care), then don't eat with them. If that's the case, you have to be willing to admit that people can (and should) die for being poor. If you think there's some middle ground on this - there is not. Either people get emergency medical care or they don't. There are no half measures when someone is on the brink of death - doctors try to save lives, or they don't.
If doctors are bound to save lives, then what that means is you don't get to choose not to eat with your neighbors. Society has already dictated that we take care of each other at that level. So what follows? Well, Medicare for All mandates that everyone gets preventive care, so we aren't collectively on the hook for so many of these ultra-expensive, life-saving procedures. So if you aren't with it already, get with the fucking program. The numbers work out. You can feel good about yourself by knowing you are taking care of your neighbor ... WHILE saving money!! AND you can appreciate the fact that your neighbor got you as well!
