It's basically just profit. There's more money to be made by a system of price discrimination than there is by a system of universal healthcare. If you want to

It's basically just profit. There's more money to be made by a system of price discrimination than there is by a system of universal healthcare. If you want to look at the root political cause the blame here lies squarely with the Democrats and Obama Administration. Prior to the passage of the ACA the prevailing consensus was for the Healthy Americans act. Look it up. Look at the Co-Sponsors, very much bipartisan, and very much universal healthcare. If not for the ACA americans would have had Universal Healthcare 10 years ago. The #1 thing that must be done is the decoupling of insurance from employment. The HAA does this and provides universal basic coverage, while still maintaining a private market for certain levels. It also still allows employers to contribute towards healthcare but in a much more transparent way. Right now, employers have a massive advantage in regards to healthcare as a benefit because they can offer you a plan that may cost them only $100 a month, but if you, on your own outside of your employers group policy attempt to purchase a similar plan it would likely cost $1000+ a month. Enacting universal healthcare in the US is not some impossible dream. It's a fairly straightforward process laid out decades ago and very nearly implemented in 2009. Detach insurance from employment, eliminate coverage groups entirely, all private insurance companies have to pool all customers into the same group. The government also underwrites certain types of coverage for these companies, mainly preventive and catastrophic. The government then offers a competing product to consumers. It is defaultly given to every citizen, paid for via taxes. If you choose to go to a private company you can get a tax credit for a certain portion of premium paid. There is no billing of customers, providers bill the government, the government can then in turn bill private insurers if a person is covered. Certain services may be a la carte per the private insurance. For example if you want expanded services not covered by the government policy, like more days in skilled nursing, physical therapy appointments, cosmetic, etc.