this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2024
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Summary

A Gallup poll shows 62% of Americans believe the government should ensure universal healthcare coverage—the highest support in over a decade.

While Democratic backing remains strong at 90%, support among Republicans and Independents has also grown since 2020.

Public frustration with the for-profit healthcare system has intensified following the arrest of a suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, reportedly motivated by anger at the industry.

Recent controversies, including Anthem’s rollback of anesthesia coverage cuts, and debates over Medicare privatization highlight ongoing dissatisfaction with the system.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Sounds like 62% of Americans should have voted for the candidate that might have actually made that possible.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Bernie Sanders tried but did not get enough votes when he ran for president because the government paying for your healthcare is apparently bad for some reason.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago

Its bad for profits. And since the government is run by people with a vested interest in profits, it wont change anytime soon. All the oligarchs have to do is convince enough rubes that universal healthcare is bad, and it will never see the light of day.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Might is doing some heavy lifting in that sentence.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Its important to make incremental progress. Kamala was a standard dem like Joe. Still they are open to hearing good ideas; compared to Trump.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Trump is open to hearing good ideas too. Problem is, "good" is highly subjective.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Candidates*

Real change will come from house and senate.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 days ago

Too late with the Orange Man in the White House...

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I tried to explain to a luddite like 10 years ago that their healthcare costs would go down. He said he doesn't care, he doesn't want to pay for someone else's healthcare. He had insurance through work. I tried explaining to him that THAT'S the whole point of insurance, you pay for other people's healthcare, you're not just paying into an account that you then draw from. Your premium goes to someone else's cancer treatment. He said I didn't understand insurance. Dude had 3 kids too. So his healthcare costs proportionally to mine would have been waaayyy lower.

Like, it's a no brainer.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

He said I didn’t understand insurance.

Reminds me of fiscal conservatives that would always lecture people on economics, while not having even the slightest understanding of how it works.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Why though, many of them voted for Trump, next month antivax RFK Jr. will be health minister. Trump has claimed a healthcare plan will be ready "next week" for the past 8 years. People wanted Obamacare gone. So what do you want? Healthcare or no healthcare?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They want obamacare gone, but they like their affordable care act.

[–] FilthyHands 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What this country really needs is some RomneyCare.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

I think that country needs a revolution, after which a completely new constitution needs to be written with a complete new governing system. Getting rid of corruption. Dividing the massive country into smaller countries, with rules and regulations on a smaller scale. Because every state is different. It's going to cause a lot of death, misery, suffering, but sometimes you need to endure extra pain to get better. Like surgery, it's painful but without it you will end up with more pain and suffering in the long run. But you need insurance for that so most Americans probably don't know what I'm talking about.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Wish granted. $100k deductible for all. GiGa subsidies for insurance corporations.

"We did it Patrick, we did Healthcare reform!" - democrats probably

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago

Until the USA can cap healthcare costs, shit ain't gonna happen. Every single legal resident in the USA should have the same healthcare as the politicians.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Free healthcare for all!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I don't think this has ever been contended. I believe the issue dividing camps is in the how

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

That's a slightly different question (opinion on the ACA vs whether the government should ensure that everyone has healthcare).

Although the latter is also true, according to the OP article:

The poll found that a majority of Republicans still believe ensuring health coverage is not the government's job, but the majority has shrunk since 2020.

That year, only 22% of Republican voters believed the government should ensure everyone in the country has healthcare, but that number has now grown to 32%.

[–] [email protected] 185 points 1 week ago (8 children)

How many of those 62% voted for the guy who wants to let insurance companies deny even harder?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

let insurance companies deny even harder

Sooner death for insurance companies

[–] [email protected] 68 points 1 week ago

too fuckin' many, and how many sat this one out?

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[–] [email protected] 109 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

Here's the thing... having health coverage doesn't mean jack crap.

I've told my story before, it got best of'd on reddit and such, but it bears repeating why we need Universal Health Care:

tl;dr lost my doctors due to an insurance change 4 weeks in to a 6 week open heart surgery recovery...

In 2018, my company was in the process of being sold. No big deal, above my paygrade, nothing for me to worry about.

Then I got sick right after Thanksgiving. Really bad heartburn that lasted 5 days. It wasn't heartburn. I had a heart attack. 12/3/2018 I had open heart surgery, single bypass, and that started a 6 week recovery clock.

On 1/1/2019, the sale of my company closed and we officially had new owners. I also officially lost all of my doctors because the new employers don't do Kaiser in Oregon. They do it in WA and CA, but each state has to be negotiated and they never had presence here.

1/2/2019 I start working with Aetna to find doctors, hospitals, etc. Beyond the cardiologist I need a new pharmacist, podiatrist, diabetes care and a general "doctor" doctor.

Fortunately, my new employer is a big enough fish, they have their own concierge at Aetna and she gets me into the Legacy Health system.

On 1/3/2019 I start developing complications, but I don't know it at the time. It starts with a cough. All the time. Then, when I try to lay down, like to sleep, I'm drowning, literally choking and gagging.

The concierge and I try to get an appointment, we're told 2-3 months. For a dude still recovering from open heart surgery? Best they could do is 2 weeks. 1/14/2019.

I can't lay down to sleep so I buy a travel neck pillow and sleep sitting up.

I get to see the new doctor at the "official" end of the 6 week recovery. He doesn't know me or my history so he wants to run tests.

I'm sitting at home playing video games and waiting on test results when the call comes... Congestive heart failure. Report to the ER immediately.

My heart developed an irregular heart beat, which caused fluid build up in my chest. They admitted me and were getting ready to pull fluid off me.

"What happened to your foot?"

"I dunno, what happened to my foot? I can't feel my feet."

Remember when I said I was sitting around playing video games, waiting for test results? Yeah, my foot was touching a radiator and I didn't know it. 3rd degree burns, first four toes. Pinkie was spared.

So I'm in the hospital a week. I lose 4 liters of water per day. 50 lbs. of water. No wonder I was drowning. Regular bandage changes.

So now I'm facing two procedures. Electrocardio version to fix my heart, skin grafts to fix my toes.

This whole time the new insurance covers 80% until I reach the out of pocket maximum of $6,500. Then it will cover 100%.

The old insurance? ER visit for heart attack, hospital admission, 8 days in the hospital, open heart bypass... $250. $100 for meds and all the oxygen bottles I can carry.

So we hit the out of pocket maximum almost immediately. My wife had a problem with her foot running through the Seattle airport. The doctor who did her toe amputation was decided to be out of network so that was another $1,100.


I was never unemployed through all this. I had enough vacation and sick time banked to cover it. Cobra didn't apply. Continuity of care didn't apply because the new hospital DID have a cardiac department. Buying my old insurance wasn't an option, it was far too expensive without employer backing. Income is too high for assistance (thank god) and I took steps to max out my HSA account, which is good because we drained it twice.

Three 1 week hospital stays (2 for me, 1 for my wife), multiple ER visits, two more major medical procedures... That would be enough to break most people even with good insurance.

So if you read any of that, let me ask you something... Why does the quality of my health care and my quality of life have to depend on who I work for and what insurance companies they choose to work with?

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[–] [email protected] 73 points 1 week ago (10 children)

How is it only 62%?! Who actually looks at their medical bill and thinks, "Yep, this is accurate and absolutely worth every penny"? I have health insurance, and I still avoid going to the doctor unless I’m practically dying because I simply can’t afford it.

And yet, I’m stuck paying nearly $10k a year for insurance—just in case something catastrophic happens—only to still face massive copays, out-of-pocket costs, and coverage denials. It’s completely counterintuitive.

The system is broken.

Screw the insurance industry.
Screw the state of medical care in the U.S.

Healthcare shouldn’t be a privilege—it’s a human right. Normalize that.

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[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 week ago (3 children)

TIL 38% of Americans are CEO’s

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago

TIL 38% of Americans are CEO’s and/or bootlickers.

FTFY

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

38% are the, I never have to go to the doctor. I never get sick. Until one day, they realize what an absolute nightmare the healthcare system is. 38% are probably the percentage that have had use for anything other than doctors visits.

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