I don't know if I want to do the dozens behind Moore's approach, but it's certainly my most favorite documentary because I can relate to this. There was only one period that I can recall having had health insurance aside from what my dad's military stuff did for me as a child. I was a college employee (e.g. teaching assistant) and you have a health insurance benefit. I never got around to using it because I wasn't sick, but it was nice to know that I could get to a hospital if I needed to do so. I never really used my benefits, just a "student" status to acquire dental care. I shelled out $200 for a couple of procedures, and I could pay it off bit by bit.
But, I think people are quick to forget what it's like to live without insurance. You hear anecdotal horror stories about illegal immigrants using emergency room services and, when the bill comes, they are nowhere to be found. And if you're without insurance, you know that you have to go to the ER because you don't have a choice, and you'd like to just cry when the bill does show up. It's exorbitant, and if you're already living from check to check, the extra money just doesn't appear from thin air. I'm thankful because I've never had -- knock on wood -- to deal with a broken bone or serious injury. But even if I need to visit an Urgent Care center, it's easy to rack up a couple hundred dollar bill. Health insurance, as expensive as it is and inaccessible for a lot of people, can bring so much security.
Today, I was driving home and a deer hit my car. It could have been A LOT worse for me, and if it had, injuries and all, I'd have to wait it out, tough it out, deal with the pain.
I would be a hell of a lot more willing to fork over taxes for universalized insurance. I'll get much more out of it than being "terrorism-free," whatever the fuck that means. And I think if Washington really sat down with the budget and crunched the number, the United States could easily do some subsidizing and it wouldn't cause nearly as much devastation. It's just a propangandist rejection based on the views of the enough-well-off who don't have to live on the edge like the rest of us. What a crock. Let's trade shoes and see if you feel differently.