@longgone I was shot in a robbery in 2012. It took me several years to get on Social Security Disability—- I remember the angst I had because the two who shot me were in their early 20s and were living in a government subsidized house, and drove a BMW, Wow. I wish I could have had a government subsidized house when I was 20! In prison, they had free meals and medical care. I had nothing but bills.
The medical bills are written off if one is unable to pay. For me, those bills were about 140 thousand dollars, as much as a fairly decent home where I live. The Church Health Center in Memphis took care of my medical needs until I was able to get on Social Security. .I have not had any medical bills since 2015. The United States DOES take care of its sick, At least I had pretty good advocates.
Social Security is definitely government run, but many in the U.S. have private insurance, So although we do have socialized medicine, the pharmaceutical business is primarily driven by free market capitalism. The medical breakthroughs come from private hospitals, labs, pharmaceutical companies, and major corporations that finance the research.
At the same time, I can tell you of many cases where people whom the government SHOULD be taking care of who were ignored or fell through the cracks. I drove a van for my church twice a week to pick up about fifteen disabled people—I became the advocate to help these people get their medical and nutritional needs met. Joy Lynn White, a friend of mine, only had $41 for food a month, and absolutely abysmal medical care for her chairi II Malformation and Spina Bifida, Yet there were non-handicapped people in her building who were eating very well and had all their medical needs paid for. Joy’s needs were primarily paid for by the church we attended. To think that some want to put us all under the kind of medical care Joy got from the state is a frightening thought.