> How would a public insurance option change this? Because when the guy who eats donuts has some numbness in his foot due to Type 2 diabetes, he's going to go

> How would a public insurance option change this? Because when the guy who eats donuts has some numbness in his foot due to Type 2 diabetes, he's going to go to a doctor for advice since he has insurance. The doctor could catch him early enough to prevent the most devastating parts of diabetes and saving you more money than had he woken up one day unable to walk and called 911 and received an amputation that the state picked up the tab for. This applies for everything. Poor people regularly never see doctors in their offices. They go to the ER when it's nearly too late and rack up huge bills in the most expensive facilities. We don't turn away patients with emergencies. The hospital will bill you and the state will cover you if you don't pay. Edit: Here's a public health idea: tax sugar (or crops such as corn turned into sugar). We tax cigarettes; it's only fair in my opinion. And the tax on cigarettes makes e-cigarettes very economical.