Why are many Americans opposed to free medical care?
I’m no expert on US internal politics but it seems that there is great opposition to the US adopting a ‘european’ style ‘National health service’, like what we have in Britain. surely socialised medicine for all is a good thing and in keeping with the American dream? When i was over in the US i was amazed at the overpricing and corruption of their ‘health insurance’ companies… not that the UK version is clean either, just better.
Your comments please… and try to keep the anglo/euro- phobia to a reasonable limit please. I have never been a member of the communist party i swear! 
Americans are largely fanatically emersed in a culture of ‘individualism’ (if you browse around the P&G section conscious of it, you will find it is a recurring theme many invoke with detectable reverence) and consequently, they despise the idea of ’society’ and they resent humanity (the Thatcher quote, "no such thing as society" is a crucial element of the mentality). Because antisocial misanthropic American ‘individualists’ are so morbidly self-centric, they routinely interpret all things ’social’ in nature as provisional "free" entitlements for somebody other than the self that occur at the expense of the self, and fail to anticipate the expense to benefit ratio might ever apply conversely.
In other words, Americans suffer from culturally mass induced psychopathic narcissism:
Inability to sympathize
No sense of proportion
Inability to anticipate the consequences of their actions
Grandiose sense of entitlement
Americans see universal healthcare only in terms of what it will cost them when somebody else gets sick and never in terms of how it will benefit them when they get sick. Yes, it is counter-intuitive. No, I am not insane. I am only explaining it, not defending it.
P.S. Because you mention it, I apoligize in advance but I am an American and therefore, required by law to inform you: We saved your @sses in the war then single-handedly rebuilt the entire world, and you’re jealous of our prosperity and our freedom, you socialized medicine promoting commie bastard.
P.P.S. I retract my previous statement. You won’t need to browse the P&G section. All the examples you need are posted right here on this question. Awareman, Kingdale3 & Simon howl the battlecry of the republic, "Government can’t do anything right!" along with classic crowd pleasers such as, "Why should I have to pay for somebody else?" and of course that timeless standard, "Nobody will ever contribute anything without the ‘incentive’ of advantageous gross disproportion." In addition, the comments by CSA speak clearly for themselves without any assistance from me. You may not consider them the ‘best’ answers (and perhaps do not even consider them palatable answers) but in the context of your question ("why?"), Kingdale3, Awareman, Simon and CSA all equally provide the ‘correct’ answer.
P.P.P.S. Also be sure to take into account that the angriest, most spiteful and latently violent comments of all (by CSA) attract four thumbs up as well (that single thumb down is from me).
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Comments
Most seemed to be worried about their taxes going up; even when it will help people.
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TWAKOOL AMERICA TWAKOOL
I’m not opposed to free healthcare which would benefit everyone. Of course it wouldn’t be "free," it would simply be paid for through taxes. Even that, I could accept, if it were a good plan with positive benefits.
However, the plan that Obama has sponsored is more of a power-hungry, politically driven mess rather than anything to do with a positive change in the healthcare system.
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they know its not free. there is no such thing as free medical care. someone has to pay for it. and when the people that pay, have to pay to much and start complaining , then the quality of care goes down . so everyone gets substandard care.
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Nothing is free. Someone always pays. If no-one pays, then what is my incentive to go to medical school for 8 years to make "regulated" money. Nah, Law school sounds so much better now. All that we will be left with are half witted doctors. All the smart people will choose different professions. You all talk about changing the most advanced health care system in the world for a European style socialized medicine, which has destroyed the medical profession over there. Wake up America, nothing in this world is free. America will pay for this health care with tax payer $ and suck more jobs from an already jobless society! Smart, no-one pay attention in Economics 101? The government can’t even run a checkbook let alone my health care!
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Well, I don’t think Americans are against "free" medical care (because everybody loves free :). You must pay for this healthcare in our taxes. However, the healthcare provided by the government isn’t perceived to be as "good" as private healthcare. And why would you want to pay for something in your taxes that isn’t "good". Some Americans who can afford private healthcare would rather not pay taxes for a managed health service, and instead choose their own.
However, managed healthcare has its advantages to, such as comprehensive coverage of those who can’t pay.
Also, being Communist has nothing to do with this. Having free medical care is perceived as being "socialist".
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Its not FREE, Some poor hard working citizen has to pay out the nose for it in Higher Taxes so the Lazy shiftless that will not work and want this so called free services supplied by the Government forcing those who work for a living, while the lazy, or the illegals sponge off of my Hard working back getting more services than I can get because I have a Work Ethic. You Don’t Work You Don’t Eat.
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Ask the Canadians that cross over to the US to get better quality healthcare how they like their "free healthcare".
j
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Its the senators opposed to free medical care concept, who take large amt frm the booming medical insurance industry. To add more to it they brand ‘free medical care’ as a communist concept. Its just so easy to fool americans.
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Our government has never ran anything that worked the way it was supposed to. Why would anyone think that they could run health care? We are paying people $200 for a hammer for crying out loud how much do you think health care would be?
And it wouldn’t be "free" either. Nothing in life is "free"
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Health care in the UK is not free. Its paid for from every working persons taxes along with money the Government puts in.
In the US the large Health care companies that make obscene profits from their business will hate to see their huge salaries disappearing so are obviously against change.
Our NHS is not perfect, far from it but it still offers health care to all people and not just those with money.
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From conversations I have had, health care will not be free. Unless we require doctors, nurses, ect to work for free. Another point would be that if health insurance is a right, why do some have to pay for the right while others do not. Americans generally expect everyone to carry their own weight.
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Americans are very individualistic and there is little class consciousness. They know some people are going bankrupt trying to pay for vital treatment, but they think it’s nothing to do with them, or just try not to think about it.
Thing is, it takes more than one person to make a country work, so only looking out for yourself is not only selfish, it is actually detrimental to the economy and society as a whole.
The fact that it would actually be cheaper on the whole to pay for health care out of taxes than pay for health insurance also seems to have totally missed most people.
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I’ve got a house in Florida and spend a few months of the year living in the USA - I’ve seen pensioners unable to afford treatment for simple conditions, and seen the bills for something simple like stitches - it’s criminal!
The opposition comes from the wealthy who fear some of their taxes may go towards civilising the USA in caring for those on low income.
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I’ll have you know my healthcare in the UK is not ‘free’. Currently I pay around £2000($3600) per year on my NHS care. But at least I know I will be covered for ‘everything’ at all times and I also don’t need to rely on some socialistic unionised system making my employer cover me like most Americans do. I like being responsible for myself and not waiting on someone else to pay for me. On a slightly more selfish note it also frees up money for my employer to give me higher wages!
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Americans are largely fanatically emersed in a culture of ‘individualism’ (if you browse around the P&G section conscious of it, you will find it is a recurring theme many invoke with detectable reverence) and consequently, they despise the idea of ’society’ and they resent humanity (the Thatcher quote, "no such thing as society" is a crucial element of the mentality). Because antisocial misanthropic American ‘individualists’ are so morbidly self-centric, they routinely interpret all things ’social’ in nature as provisional "free" entitlements for somebody other than the self that occur at the expense of the self, and fail to anticipate the expense to benefit ratio might ever apply conversely.
In other words, Americans suffer from culturally mass induced psychopathic narcissism:
Inability to sympathize
No sense of proportion
Inability to anticipate the consequences of their actions
Grandiose sense of entitlement
Americans see universal healthcare only in terms of what it will cost them when somebody else gets sick and never in terms of how it will benefit them when they get sick. Yes, it is counter-intuitive. No, I am not insane. I am only explaining it, not defending it.
P.S. Because you mention it, I apoligize in advance but I am an American and therefore, required by law to inform you: We saved your @sses in the war then single-handedly rebuilt the entire world, and you’re jealous of our prosperity and our freedom, you socialized medicine promoting commie bastard.
P.P.S. I retract my previous statement. You won’t need to browse the P&G section. All the examples you need are posted right here on this question. Awareman, Kingdale3 & Simon howl the battlecry of the republic, "Government can’t do anything right!" along with classic crowd pleasers such as, "Why should I have to pay for somebody else?" and of course that timeless standard, "Nobody will ever contribute anything without the ‘incentive’ of advantageous gross disproportion." In addition, the comments by CSA speak clearly for themselves without any assistance from me. You may not consider them the ‘best’ answers (and perhaps do not even consider them palatable answers) but in the context of your question ("why?"), Kingdale3, Awareman, Simon and CSA all equally provide the ‘correct’ answer.
P.P.P.S. Also be sure to take into account that the angriest, most spiteful and latently violent comments of all (by CSA) attract four thumbs up as well (that single thumb down is from me).
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Those that are against it are merely tools of the Right Wing Propaganda Machine. They are poor, ignorant and uneducated. Besides, if God wanted us to have Medical insurance, wouldn’t he have given it to us already?
*SNICKER!*
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Actually, the saner American people would probably be all for it but the money-making healthcare lobby would never let that happen.
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