Can we improve US healthcare with an influx of more tax dollars?

Gosh, your PHD made you a mind reader. Reforming ACA or or single payer, as I understand it, is like trying to resuscitate a cadaver after two days, for the same reasons. If you want to discuss this issue, fine. If you prefer to merely be snarky, I'm good with that too.

MCPO Roger Collins - Colorful (but pointless) analogy there about cadavers. The ACA has never been implemented in accordance with the legislation that was signed into law. It has been purposely undermined ever since it was enacted (refusal to expand Medicaid in many states, implementation of barriers for the exchange navigators, partial defunding of the risk corridors, coordinated campaigns to suppress demand for the individual policies sold on the exchanges, etc.). So, don't think the ACA is working as designed (i.e. the current flaws are intentional). The single payer works in almost every other country that has implemented it. If you don't like that reform, fine. However, the empirical evidence shows that it provides equal or better health outcomes at a lower overall cost to society. If you're interested in looking at all of the data yourself, check out the World Health Organization's website (the Global Health Observatory data). Or, you can read through a myriad of peer-reviewed studies assessing the performance (and ranking) of various health systems around the world. I can provide them all to you if you'd like.

Typical "pile it higher and deeper" respond, condescending with lots o BS frosting. Equally of healthcare at the point of a government gun is doomed to failure right out of the gate. I look at reality, not some biased agencies that continually find fault with the USA. Here is an example of how "free" healthcare works out

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/think-the-cuban-healthcare-system-is-ideal-no-cigar-not-even-close/article/2608367

MCPO Roger Collins - Interpretation....you're out of ammo. Have a nice day.

1SG (Join to see) - Do you really think I need to specify that the government as an employer (Tricare) is a different matter? Employers provide benefits to attract employees. Get a grip and stop being so persnickety.

So not going to address Medicare and Medicad? Persnickety like a mofo.

1SG (Join to see) -
Everyone who pays taxes pays 1.45% towards Medicare and their employer contributes 1.45%. If that percentage was paid toward direct coverage instead of re-distributional coverage there may be a direct effect on employed but uninsured numbers. Doing some math, a full time employee at 40 hours in our location (Ft Huachuca/ Sierra Vista, AZ) will earn this:
40 x 52 = 2080 HRS
2080 X 10 = $20800
$20800 X .0145 = $301.60 /yr
This would significantly decrease the $1649.76 annual rate of an 18 year old paying for their own health care on healthcare.gov leaving $1348.16 for that 18 year old individual to cover for themselves. Since premiums have skyrocketed recently we could reasonably assume that without the ACA premiums would have been somewhere in the range of $1286.81 if JUST the 2017 increases didn't happen. So that $301.60/yr would actually have decreased the out of pocket coverage cost to $985.21.
I also found catastrophic insurance for around $9 a week as a advertisement on Google. This would cost a total of $468 a year leaving $166 for the 18 year old we are hypothetically trying to cover. At that low cost, it may be logical to take Medicare taxes at the current rate and expect a younger person to pony up $9 a week. This would keep funding for those over the social security retirement age.

The people who are not covered in this are those who do not earn an income. Those are covered by Medicaid. I believe those who are able bodied, but not earning a contributing share should be required to contribute in some way. I know that kinda sounds mean, but Bill Clinton convinced me of that in the 90's. The Workfare program should be extended to medical benefits. In short, I think the government should receive a product or service for money it spends:

Elderly - Keep Medicare funding because they have already paid for it.
Able bodied but low income - workfare programs
Non- able bodied individuals - Let's start taxing the NFL!

I know my suggestions are not perfect, if you would like to meet at the Starbucks in Fry's down by Target we can hash it out over coffee.


sources for you:
https://www.fidelity.com/viewpoints/personal-finance/new-medicare-taxes https://www.britannica.com/topic/workfare

If a google ad said so, you just might be right. Enjoy your Memorial Day.