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Comment by Waterfall | Hacker News Reader

Is that not the problems with a broken system? Who is forcing who to save people? Why SHOULD society pick up the tab for my broken arm, or his obesity?

When the same drug addict that can't pay his bills again goes to the same hospital and has no intetions of paying and the hospital is forced to take anyone what is the result? A healthcare system that is more focused on duration of life at any cost, versus that of quality. Preventable illnesses like drug abuse, obesity and smoking are everyone's issue when everyone else is paying for the purposefully sickly to squander all the money.

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Your argument comes down to "why don't we just let them die?"

You broke your arm? Sorry, no insurance. Figure out yourself how you're going to fix that. You might not be able to ever use it again, but that's your choice.

Cancer breaking down your stomach, leaving you in agonizing pain every hour of every day? Sorry, no insurance. Please be quiet, your neigbors didn't sign up to hear your screams.

Truck plowed into your car, leaving you maimed beyond recognition? Sorry, no insurance. We can't help you get home either, but there's a nice big hole outside the exit you could crawl into instead. Also here's the bill for cleaning the bloodstains you left on our floor.

We don't just leave people to die because it's both an ethical problem, and because it causes problems for everyone else.

In America it is anti paternalistic. Why is this so different?

Nobody has replied or will touch how we preventable diseases such as cancer from smoking and obesity are paid for by healthy people and are completely preventable issues.

Every single example you use deviates from the original, more and more as unfortunate circumstances, but most problems are not cars crashing into you. It's mostly people killing themselves slowly though sloppy eating, poor impulse control and violence. Yes you stuck your hand in a grinder, now the government will take care of you forever. You were putting on hundreds of lb over decades of eating crap, you get free lipid medication, insulin paid for with taxes of other people. Thank you for gracing us with your presence, for existing you deserve the best. Please continue to live as long as possible, we don't want to lose an important person like that. This is the system you dearly love? It's going to implode, obesity rises and healthcare doesn't care, they simply treat them when they come, and if you don't have problem already the hospital cafeteria will put you in there soon anyway.

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