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71977
200 million seems a bit high... Forbes says the number's around 5 million, and the GOP claims another 100 million will lost theirs. But anyway, I'm not supporting Obamacare, I'm just pointing out issues with our previous system.
Care and insurance are linked. If a clinic cares for people who can't pay, there's a deficit. That's where insurance comes in. Everyone pays in, and the money goes to help the unlucky few who have expensive accidents. The idea is to universalize both the cost and care. If everyone has a right to equal care, everyone has a responsibility to share equal cost. You can dispute everyone's right to care, which would be what a free market approach would say. There's also debate about which operations are basic rights (eg abortion), but I think that's a separate issue.
Like you said, there are free clinics, which basically means that someone else is paying for them. Having universal, centralized health insurance is one way of making sure that the cost of those free clinics is spread fairly.
I think the real problem is that America supports conflicting ideas: freedom, capitalism, and equality. The freedom to choose a healthcare provider in a free market will inevitably give better care to the wealthy, which is unequal.
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