Conservatives have more self-control

[Aegon]

Can't, or don't? Average spending on Christmas gifts was over $900 the last two years. People need to forego the crap for a couple years and build some savings.

The US needs to go to either:

- a high-deductible system. This would reduce premiums and presumably reduce unnecessary tests, since people will be paying more out of pocket.

- a single-payer system.

The current system is ridiculous. Auto insurance doesn't pay for every oil change. Home insurance doesn't pay for normal wear and tear. They just protect you from catastrophic loss. Yet, we expect health insurance to kick in every time we do anything health related.

I'm generally conservative and favor a small government, but I'm good with single-payer, maily because I think offering health care to all is simply the humane thing to do. I'm willing to pay more taxes for it, myself.

It's quite bizarre to me how unwilling people are to see a tax increase for something that can benefit so many people, probably including themselves. Especially with the logic that they "don't want to pay for other people's insurance." Do they even know what insurance is or how it works? Of course rhen one could argue, "Well I choose to purchase insurance. I don't want the government to force me to pay for others'." But you already pay taxes for many things that you don't use. The federal highway that stretches across North Dakota is of little use to me as a New Yorker but I'm still paying for it. The difference between a federal highway in North Dakota and health insurance is that it's not possible for a life-altaring emergency to force you to rely on a federal highway in North Dakota. I've seen a couple of conservatives on Twitter with a few thousand followers who have crusaded against "socialist health care" and then the next month put up a GoFundMe because they got into a car crash and declared bankruptcy after receiving their medical bills. Everybody is going to struggle with these costs at one point in their life. Whether it's a car accident, cancer etc. My father has very good insurance yet my transplant still costed quite a bit, at least relative to how much my family makes. I personally pay just over $100 out of pocket for my anti rejection meds every month*. A little tough on an intern's "salary."