4 ms·

Here's the explanation: "Why doesn’t the United States have universal health care? The answer has everything to do with race." https://www.nytimes.com/interact

Here's the explanation: "Why doesn’t the United States have universal health care? The answer has everything to do with race." https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/universal-health-care-racism.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/univ...

deogeo 7y ago
Americans are so racist, they'd rather get bankrupted by illness and die, than have universal health care help black people. At the same time, they allow ~1 million mostly non-whites to legally immigrate every year. I think insurance/medical industry lobbying is a far more consistent explanation. In general, if a story starts by bringing up racism from 150 years ago, it's more concerned with building a narrative than with explaining the current state of affairs. Rather refreshingly, the NYT admits this: "It aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are."
- geofft 7y ago
  Not sure if you're being sarcastic—my experience of Americans is precisely as you say. There is a strong streak of "I don't care if it helps me, if it helps those people I don't want it to happen." Americans are also so transphobic that they'd rather have fewer soldiers defending the country, etc.
  - deogeo 7y ago
    So why does the "I don't want to help people I don't like" attitude affect the healthcare system, but not immigration policy? That is why I don't think the explanation holds water. Plus, Americans do support universal healthcare: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/most-americans-now-support-medicare-for-all-and-free-college-tuition.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/most-americans-now-support-m...
geofft 7y ago
It's fascinating that HN downvotes comments pointing to America's historic struggles with race (which did, beyond a doubt, exist and leave a fingerprint on the political reality of our current country) when people ask questions for which race is a potential answer. It's happened to me before too, IIRC also with a cited claim. I mean, I totally understand avoiding the subject because it leads to flamewars, because some people respond very poorly to the suggestion that racism exists and has practical effects today. But then you're better off not having a discussion about the topic at all than a skewed, censored one where one plausible answer is just too politically incorrect to be debated.
- ThrowawayR2 7y ago
  -Yes, racism existed in the United States. Virulently so. -Yes, racism still exists and, yes, it is a huge problem. We should work together to support all minorities. -No, racism is not the primary or even a significant cause of every single bad thing that happens. It's like the people in the story of the boy who cried wolf; hearing "racism" being trotted out by one-note progressives as a response to any question about the United States' woes (particularly when it's not even very plausible) is viewed as tiresome and unconstructive. And I say this as a minority who has experienced racism!

deogeo 7y ago

Americans are so racist, they'd rather get bankrupted by illness and die, than have universal health care help black people. At the same time, they allow ~1 million mostly non-whites to legally immigrate every year. I think insurance/medical industry lobbying is a far more consistent explanation. In general, if a story starts by bringing up racism from 150 years ago, it's more concerned with building a narrative than with explaining the current state of affairs. Rather refreshingly, the NYT admits this: "It aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are."

geofft 7y ago
Not sure if you're being sarcastic—my experience of Americans is precisely as you say. There is a strong streak of "I don't care if it helps me, if it helps those people I don't want it to happen." Americans are also so transphobic that they'd rather have fewer soldiers defending the country, etc.
- deogeo 7y ago
  So why does the "I don't want to help people I don't like" attitude affect the healthcare system, but not immigration policy? That is why I don't think the explanation holds water. Plus, Americans do support universal healthcare: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/most-americans-now-support-medicare-for-all-and-free-college-tuition.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/most-americans-now-support-m...

geofft 7y ago

It's fascinating that HN downvotes comments pointing to America's historic struggles with race (which did, beyond a doubt, exist and leave a fingerprint on the political reality of our current country) when people ask questions for which race is a potential answer. It's happened to me before too, IIRC also with a cited claim. I mean, I totally understand avoiding the subject because it leads to flamewars, because some people respond very poorly to the suggestion that racism exists and has practical effects today. But then you're better off not having a discussion about the topic at all than a skewed, censored one where one plausible answer is just too politically incorrect to be debated.

ThrowawayR2 7y ago
-Yes, racism existed in the United States. Virulently so. -Yes, racism still exists and, yes, it is a huge problem. We should work together to support all minorities. -No, racism is not the primary or even a significant cause of every single bad thing that happens. It's like the people in the story of the boy who cried wolf; hearing "racism" being trotted out by one-note progressives as a response to any question about the United States' woes (particularly when it's not even very plausible) is viewed as tiresome and unconstructive. And I say this as a minority who has experienced racism!