RE: Universal Health Care
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I have dealt with workman's comp.
It sucked.
Monopolies invariably promote waste and abuse, and a system that extorts the consumer and then hides costs behind a wall of bureaucracy while denying choice cannot rationally be defended. It is an economic dead end.
I also dealt with free-ish market dental care. It was wonderful. Far more pleasant than the insurance model, to be honest. Prices up front, open and honest exchange, cash discount... it worked like literally every other service on the free-ish market.
The government that can't manage it's own mandatory licenses, accrues unfunded liabilities in every "social service" it already runs, and has an abysmal record in Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, workman's comp, etc. should not be forced upon me. The problem with politics is it turns every dispute like this into a zero-sum game.
I have a strong dislike of the insurance model in the US. It turns healthcare into the 'wild west' and, in my mind, has driven costs up, not down. That said, I'm under no illusions that a government entity would do it better; it wouldn't.
You're absolutely right, turning the discussion into a complete right/wrong zero-sum discussion doesn't do anyone any favours. It just leads to talking points and talking heads talking down to others.
If only it were the "wild west." No, that was my dentistry situation. It was a choice based on reputation. The status quo is corporate collusion with government to restrict consumer choice, obscure real costs, and manipulate the entire medical industry.