Groups work like ball pits. if you slide down the slide you are bolstered by the balls in the pit - your fall is broken. If there are too few balls, you bottom out and still hit the floor.
If you already have health insurance, you already participate in a group to leverage investment. You do this with the military already.You don't purchase a "Military Plan" from an independent military contractor (although they exist and are purchased by those who have different-than-ordinary needs.
So when folks get freaked out with the idea of publicly funded healthcare or secondary education, I think they're not thinking clearly - they've been programed to label it socialism and call it evil (it's not socialism - the means of production is still privately owned - schools and doctors and hospitals and teachers - are paid by the state.
Yes, profit is not part of the equation for the payer. But it is if you are an institution or a provider - you make money. The part that changes, changes little. removing the profit motive from the payment system allows doctors to make decisions in favor of the patient. For teachers to make decisions based on the needs of students.
It's not that institutions (private or public) don't make mistakes. But publicly owned we have an opportunity to influence through ownership and advocacy and it means everyone gets access to these necessities.
I'm a capitalist - I believe in making money. I also believe in social responsibility. The two are not mutually exclusive. We can profit and make sure people have basic needs fulfilled. We already do it in many places. It's merely expanding it in ways that benefit everyone.
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