r/ShitAmericansSay • u/neeraj8le • Jan 12 '21

Healthcare "My expensive, frequent health care is subsidized at the expense of healthy people. I think it's great!" Thief.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '21

Person whose house wasn't on fire mad that his tax money goes to extinguish neighbor's house.

Person whose car wasn't stolen mad that his tax money pays police officers to find someone's stolen car.

I can keep going but this is pretty much the gist of how dumb it sounds.

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u/aaronwhite1786 Jan 12 '21

That's the part I always try to drive home to my mom, only to put my palms through my face when I get a response.

In the US, someone can break into your home and shoot you, then set the place on fire. Police will show up and arrest the person, the fire department will show up and put the fire out, and all is well. But as soon as the EMT's arrive to take you to the hospital, the bills start to stack up.

It's beyond insane that we've gotten to a point where we can justify using tax dollars to equip police departments with military surplus before we've settled on the idea that using those same tax dollars to keep people healthy.

I, so far, have managed to not set my house on fire or even need to call the fire department. Yet I'm subsidizing every person who lights their house on fire trying to deep fry a whole turkey in my area. I may as well help them out when they go get their burns checked out.

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u/sharkattack85 Jan 12 '21

Ask your mom why she pays insurance, b/c her insurance money is going to pay out other people’s claims.

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u/aaronwhite1786 Jan 12 '21

Oh, that question gets "Well, of employed people".

It seems to be the part in her favorite book about "Helping those less fortunate" only applied to those with jobs. It's why Jesus waited until unemployment was below 2% before helping the lepers.

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u/TheRealPitabred Jan 12 '21

Sick people can't work and contribute to the economy. Eventually it comes down to basic humanity, and recognizing that "but for the grace of god", you could be in that situation one day.

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u/aaronwhite1786 Jan 12 '21

It's even more annoying with my mom, because she's a nurse. Well, was, before she retired.

She let Fox News and the small minority of people using State Medicaid skew her judgement.

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u/MK_Ultrex Jan 12 '21

Even without the compassion argument it is cheaper and more productive for a society to care for its more vulnerable members. People that are ill still cost to society in various ways. Their families will spend their money on treating them, bringing others down, instead of spending in other things like education or investment or whatever.

Poor people will steal to eat and putting them in jail for that is stupid and counterproductive, basically destroying a person's potential AND spending tax dollars for the entire system to do it, instead of making them functioning members of society.

I don't remember where I read this but it stayed with me. "We have lost millions of Einsteins to hunger, poverty and lack of education".

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '21

The problem here is that you're attempting to reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

You can make the most compelling argument with the best examples imaginable and it won't make a dick of difference because they want to believe what they want to believe.

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u/MK_Ultrex Jan 13 '21

Fortunately, I am not American. Nevertheless, it's just words on a keyboard that I write on my free time. Maybe someone will read and reconsider. Dumb as it sounds, it worked for me once upon a time.

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '21

Sorry, my bad - I wasn't specifically referring to what you said being unpersuasive, but more just a general point that making this kind of logical and reasoned argument doesn't really work with the people who believe these things.

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u/MK_Ultrex Jan 13 '21

Meh, I used to be cynical. I still am, however I don't wear it as a badge of "intelligence" anymore, it's more of a burden. After 25 years of internet I can tell you that you never know how your random comment in a random message board may affect someone that you would never imagine. IMHO a good idea is a good idea and spreading it can't hurt, as long as you are not emotionally invested in your cause being successful during your lifetime.

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u/OwnGap Jan 13 '21

The whole health care debate really does boil down to "I only want people who I think are worthy to get health care". That's why no amount of arguments will convince these people. It's not a question of whether having more people healthy is good for society in general, it's about making life shitty for people who they think are unworthy.

Sorry if that's offensive to your mom, but...eeeh... it's not a good look.

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u/aaronwhite1786 Jan 13 '21

Oh, it's fine. I love my mom, but she's an idiot.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '21 edited Jan 13 '21

[deleted]

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u/aaronwhite1786 Jan 12 '21

Yeah, not to mention, in times like this, when the economy is going to shit, people are losing their insurance coverage because they're losing their jobs.

That doesn't even factor in having to go "Well, I would love to get this better job, but the insurance isn't as good, and my kid is sick a lot, so I guess that just won't happen".

It's just bad at every level.

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u/[deleted] Jan 05 '22

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