We can't go to a program like the UK that's works out to be cheaper in the long run because our current half-assed program costs more? Not following the logic h

We can't go to a program like the UK that's works out to be cheaper in the long run because our current half-assed program costs more? Not following the logic here. We already "pay" for the people we don't explicitly pay for. (Emergency room, lack of preventive care, etc)