I actually agree with you, for a system run as a public service (which I think healthcare should be), I just don't see a workable justification for it under a p

I actually agree with you, for a system run as a public service (which I think healthcare should be), I just don't see a workable justification for it under a private system. The difference is, I think, in the word "insurance". If a USAn doesn't pay for health insurance, they have to pay for healthcare. I don't particularly know how Germany's system works, but I'd assume that non-payment of taxes, while it probably has other repercussions, does not preclude receiving healthcare.