Can the US actually afford to pay for dramatic expansion in health and child care?

[DocWatts]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

If you and your family have excellent, overpriced health insurance that gives you access to the best doctors, what incentive do you have to get rid of that by placing yourself and your family on the same playing field as a poor black woman?

Then extrapolate this principal as the rich being able to isolate themselves in this way from virtually every systemic problem faced by the larger society, and it's no surprise that institutions within the US are as dysfunctional as they are.

While I think that fears of an imminent social collapse to be vastly overblown, I do find it unsettling to see several longstanding systemic problems within the US reflected in case studies of societies which have collapsed (thinking in particular of the work of Jared Diamond who's written extensively in this topic).

Edited October 15, 2021 by DocWatts

[Lyubov]

11 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Rich people have much to lose with Medicare For All. It would be a huge downgrade to their elite healthcare access. Hence the rich and powerful block Medicare For All from happening. It's like trying to convince a guy with a Rolls Royce to sell it off, give the money to the government, and use the bus instead. He hates this idea.

Do they though? When we say "lose" do we mean a decline in the quality and accessibility of their healthcare?

[Leo Gura]

7 hours ago, DocWatts said:

Then extrapolate this principal as the rich being able to isolate themselves in this way from virtually every systemic problem faced by the larger society, and it's no surprise that institutions within the US are as dysfunctional as they are.

Exactly

The rich tend to love the idea of every-man-for-himself because they are massively winning that game.

Why have a social safety net at all if you're rich? It only harms your success by charging you higher taxes for a service you will never use.

1 hour ago, Lyubov said:

Do they though? When we say "lose" do we mean a decline in the quality and accessibility of their healthcare?

Yes, they lose because imagine what would happen if anyone in the country could go to any doctor in the country and get free service. The best doctors would be overwhelmed overnight with clients seeking the best quality healthcare. But right now all the best doctors charge the most money which only the rich can afford. Therefore Medicare For All would rob the rich of their elite doctors. Think about it. It's analogous to letting homeless people share your Rolls Royce. The the rich love more than anything else is exclusive elite treatment. It's all about locking out the riff-raff. The rich need to hide from the collateral damage that their riches creates and the damage it does to society. This is why they tend to live in secluded communities.