Susie, great questions! Tough challenge to answer them in a binary form. Brain washed…careful…insinuates you have all the answers, and other’s opinions do not matter if they do not agree with your world view…dismissive…assumes closed minded with a way out (just throwing it out there)…closes the door to compromise that is the foundation of democratic process.
My personal belief…
Based upon US representational democratic constitutional theory we all a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness within the boundaries demarcated over time by the passage of laws and legal process. So, I like to think I have a right to live in a way that chose that does not impinge upon the rights of others, that results in my happiness. That also means I do not believe my life has less value than yours, but equal value…i.e. John Jay’s “A soul has a right to breath.”
When it comes to this concept and the idea of access to healthcare, my belief is we should all have access to care to preserve this life in our pursuit of happiness. That fact that you and I have a treatable disease outside of our control, should not take away that access limiting our life anymore that your kid getting cancer and you not have the means to pay for treatment should result in his/her death.
Does that mean Warren Buffett or Jeff Bezos should get better healthcare than you or I…they already do in the current system, because they can. Should they? Life ain’t fair…but you shouldn’t die for it (again it is not a binary question even if we want to simplify it to make it easier to stake a position and call each other idiots on television or radio).
I have the privilege to work around many light manufacturing workers here in the Cincinnati area that make $15-25/hour. Several of them are T1 diabetics, more T2s. There is not a single T1 using a pump because they cannot afford the out-of-pocket cost. Most cannot afford the cost of glucose strips to check BG systematically. Now is it your/my fault that these poor bastards lot in life sucks in their ability to afford healthcare? Nope…But, they are contributing to economic growth in our country, and you and I will pay for their healthcare when complication tear their bodies down and they can no longer work. We pay one way or the other…so sustainable…we are doing it though indirect monetary flows. However, an alternative could be to go back to the good 'ol days, shove T1s (and the elderly) in the corner, out-of-sight and put our head in the sand…‘not my problem.’
Second question…ain’t nothing free. We all see and feel that each month when we get a paycheck and try to pay for all our supplies and watch our deductible go up each year and…and…and.
That’s the best answer I can give you. I personally could care less about binary views of the world…communist/capitalistic. The beauty of our governing system is we try to find a way to balance economic extremes (‘I got mine’) with social demands to allow us to continue our individual pursuit of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness…clean water…roads…air to breath…food on the table…a roof over head.
So you never answered the question of what data and from where, instead you tried to frame the discuss so you could win (yes, I am being judgmental because I find this tactic part of our problem).