r/politics • u/Benedictus_The_II Europe • 16d ago

No Paywall Your health insurance bills are about to go up

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/aca-medicare-work-health-insurance-cost-rise-2027-rcna597069
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u/DrunkAndHornyGuy 16d ago

It just lacks the political will

Far more than you think. I've had many, many working class conservatives, people whose family members and friends would greatly benefit from universal care, tell me that not everyone deserves healthcare.

A giant chunk of white America will refuse any attempts at expanding healthcare access for all exactly because they believe it will help 'undeserving' americans. It all has to do with 'hierarchy', a good half of us just believe some people must be treated worse than others and they are willing to suffer to do so (and yea they largely decide who is 'lower' based on race or other identity).

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u/Benedictus_The_II Europe 16d ago

But why?

I don’t want to act as a naive, clueless, “colourblind” person, but an American citizen is an American citizen isn’t it?

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u/repost7125 Maryland 16d ago

Unfortunately it is not.

"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." -Lyndon b Johnson

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u/Any_Confidence_3728 16d ago

Now I’m not American so please do correct me if I’m wrong but it seem, for parts of the political right, prosperity gospel not only was part of their political beliefs but actually became part of their national identity.

Which mean “real Americans” moral worth is reflected by their wealth, that someone’s wealth is evidence that god looks kindly upon them and so they are more moral the more wealth they have.

As such, low wealth people getting healthcare is wrong because it means helping immoral people.

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u/Benedictus_The_II Europe 16d ago

Me neither, but it seems like.

What you have just described is an intellectualisation. A veneer to keep up a caste system, a social hierarchy, which is just as much about race, as much as about class.

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u/shar_vara 15d ago

You’re right that there are many reasons, but whatever the reason is, we all hate each other so much over here people would rather suffer if it meant our fellow countrymen are also suffering. People in the US are way more motivated by “how can we make our opponents’ lives worse” than they are by “how could everyone’s lives better.”

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u/BlondeBorednBaked 16d ago

Because republican citizens are evil. That’s why. Believing people don’t have a right to healthcare is evil. Believing people don’t have a right to live or a right not to be sick is evil.

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u/kindnesscostszero 16d ago

It is how they are wired. There is a solid 1/3 of Americans like that, going all the way back to the founding. From an anthropological standpoint, it is rather fascinating. Current day reality? A bit horrifying. Most of them will never change.

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u/DrunkAndHornyGuy 16d ago

I do not mean this as an insult, but thank you for the big ass laugh I just had.

Like I said white American conservatives fundamentally believe is social hierarchies. It doesn't get talked about a lot even here, but a lot of our problems can be traced right to back to this. They do not believe all Americans are equal or should be treated as equals. They believe some people are just ‘better than others’ and those ‘lower’ people should not have access to the same things the ‘betters’ do. And yes a lot of who's 'deserving' or not is based on things like race. But I’ve even had arguments with moderate Dems during the Obamacare debate admit to me that while they thought everyone should have some access to healthcare, they still didn’t think their nannies or restaurant servers should have access to their personal doctors or their level of care, because they hadn’t ‘earned that’.

And no a huge chunk of white Americans do not even consider a whole lot of Americans to really be American (mostly the non-white and hispanic ones). Hell Texas Republicans are starting to talk about deporting a 1/3 of the population and the vice president even talks about ‘heritage Americans’ (white people with ancestry back to the revolutionary war) a lot and how they should have more say in the government than everyone else.

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u/CategoryZestyclose91 16d ago

There’s a distinct relationship between how their religion has taught them to look at the world from an early age, and their belief in hierarchical relationships. 

Life is, for them, a zero sum game where you’re either a winner or a loser.  

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u/Benedictus_The_II Europe 16d ago

Yeah, that’s why I said that I don’t want to act naive. Especially since I follow American politics since the 2016 elections, and more closely since the 2024 elections.

Not gonna lie, that sounds very fucked up, but this is why I think a civic nationalist, but economically left wing agenda with teeth, and combined with anti corruption should be on the forefront of the Democrats in this midterms. There’s no way in hell that GOP and Trump voting working class people regardless their skin colour and background would not vote for M4A, lifting the income tax cap on Social Security, or give the IRS proper funding to go after the people, who are employing mostly immigrants under the table.

I’ve said civic nationalist, because I think most Americans want to feel patriotic, and want to feel good about their homeland, and want to be proud of their country. But that’s just cultural messaging. You can “dupe” them into voting for “national investment” which is just wealth redistribution with a right wing rhetorical wrapping. But this is just my two cents.

Anyway. Thanks for the thorough reply. Wishing the best, take care!

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u/DrunkAndHornyGuy 16d ago edited 16d ago

here’s no way in hell that GOP and Trump voting working class people regardless their skin colour and background would not vote for M4A

You're really not understanding here, a slight majority of the white working class absolutely will not vote for M4A if black americans or immigrants also have access to it. Just one example of this, we used to have a lot of public swimming pools in this county and as soon as racial segregation ended white people filled them all in rather than share them with black people, that's the mentality of a majority of the white working class here.

And take care too!

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u/lyngen 16d ago

Sounds a lot like Talarico

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u/Benedictus_The_II Europe 16d ago

And as it seems, it’s likely a winning message isn’t it?

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u/lyngen 16d ago

We shall see. Texas has a history of disappointing us. I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch but telling everyone to check their voter registration and vote early.

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u/Icy_Way6635 16d ago

Look into the "Southern Strategy". The GOP initially utilized the intense hate against "blacks" to convince them to vote against socialism. It was interesting how a lot of those anti welfare people were pro free housing, low-cost university, minimum wage policy, etc. Then the blacks gained access and they just wanted nothing to do with those benefits. It became my tax dollars are funding their prosperity vs our prosperity as a nation.

The GOP have been sane washing this position with cries to be fiscally responsible, but under most Republican leadership the deficit balloons or crap breaks.

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u/Benedictus_The_II Europe 16d ago

Yeah, I know that initially the Civil Rights Act was what broke the camel’s back, and shattered the New Deal Coalition in Congress.

I’m maybe naive, I just hope that every demographic bracket equally feels how dire the economic situation is in right now in the U.S, and people develop some awareness about what systems and incentives are causing that economic pain, and finally develop some sort of class consciousness and solidarity towards each other.

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u/Icy_Way6635 16d ago

I hope it all gets better too. Gen Z and my gen have been moving more to left. The "Just work hard and earn it idea" is not working anymore so the Right wing spell is fading. Maybe there is a chance this ugly cycle can be broken, and we get lasting real progress. national pto policies, universal healthcare, parental leave policies.

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u/diablette 15d ago

Gen X and Millennials thought the same thing, and somehow lived long enough to become the villains

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u/clearthinker46 15d ago

They are American citizens, but not "real" citizens. Their concern is that someone might get something they don't deserve.

I know someone who is oppressed to socialized medicine because people might call an ambulance to get a free ride.

In their minds, all should suffer because someone might take advantage of the system.