11/10/2025
Q: Do "illegal immigrants" deserve healthcare?
A: Yes, everyone deserves healthcare.
Q: But American tax dollars pay for some types of healthcare!
A: Yes, and "illegal immigrants" pay taxes... even though, mostly, they cannot receive the benefits those tax dollars pay for. Federal law is very clear that undocumented people can't be covered by the ACA (Obama Care), or Medicaid, or Medicare.
Q: Wait, then why do people keep saying the Democrats are fighting to give "Illegal immigrants health care"?
A: I wish Democrats were fighting for that, but most of them aren't. They're trying to keep things as they have been (you know, trying to "conserve" things), meaning the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act would continue to apply to everyone in life-and-death situations. In other words, hospitals can't legally let someone bleed out in the waiting room because they don't have healthcare, regardless of status or anything else. I personally would rather keep that particular policy.
Q: Uh, I saw that some immigrants are covered by Medicaid though, so I guess you're lying?
A: Some immigrants LAWFULLY residing in the US have Medicaid. But I'm sure you're fine with that. Given that they are here legally and all. A lot of them don't even qualify for healthcare until they've been here legally for 5-7 years.
Q: No, I heard some states waive that waiting period!
A: True. And some states provide healthcare to people who can't get federal help (medicaid, etc). Mostly those 14 states provide healthcare to *children* regardless of their status. You're not suggesting we shouldn't allow states to provide healthcare to children if they want to?
Q: Whoa whoa nobody said that!
A: Actually, yeah, some politicians tried to penalize states paying for kids healthcare using only state money. It didn't pass though because it was a little too monstrous even for some of their fellow politicians.
Q: It sounds like you're arguing for some kind of universal healthcare, though?
A: I mean. Seventy-three countries in the world have some form of universally affordable healthcare. It's weird that the United States -- I'm told one of the greatest countries in the world -- has expensive, difficult healthcare that can literally bankrupt sick people. About 8% of people in the US don't have insurance at all. And it used to be 10+% before the ACA! Those people don't get bankrupted by healthcare they just simply don't have it.
Q: It seems to me that you're trying to bankrupt us with socialism.
A: RIGHT NOW THE US PAYS DOUBLE THE AVERAGE COST FOR HEALTHCARE FOR COMPARABLY WEALTHY COUNTRIES. We would literally SAVE MONEY by adopting universal healthcare. Like... lots of money. Not just as individuals, but the US government would SAVE MONEY. We could cut our per capita healthcare costs IN HALF.
Q: Yeah but we are spending more so we have better healthcare, right?
A: You would think. We're spending more and getting worse results. If we took those same countries that we are outspending, we are THE WORST in a number of pretty important categories including: infant mortality, life expectancy, safety of the mother during childbirth, unmanaged diabetes. And we rank pretty low in a bunch of other metrics, despite having world class medical professionals.
Q: So we're paying more, we've got a bunch of people who aren't covered, and we've got worse results than a whole lot of "universal healthcare" countries?
A: Yes, yes, and yes. If you travel much and talk about the American healthcare system it's like telling someone the plot of a horror movie. They are fascinated and sick to their stomach and wondering how we can live this way. And the terrible secret is that a lot of people aren't. Surviving our system, I mean. They're not "living with it."
Q: Well, what do you suggest?
A: 69% of the world's population has some form of universal healthcare. The United States is the only developed country without health coverage for all of its citizens. THE UNITED STATES IS THE ONLY WEALTHY, INDUSTRIALIZED NATION THAT DOES NOT PROVIDE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. It's just us. We're the only ones who can't figure it out. Literally pick a country and we can try their system.
Q: Yeah but what if we just gave every person a few thousand dollars and --
A: SOCIALISM! Just kidding. That's not socialism. But just to be clear, you're suggesting some sort of... government rebate? To make health insurance cheaper?
Q: Uhhhhhhh --
A: So if you like that idea, I am really going to blow your mind.
Q: No, what I'm trying to say is --
A: Like, what if the government just -- maybe not even 100% -- what if the government just paid for it? With our tax dollars. Totally fine. Like I said, it would be cheaper than what we're doing now. So we'd be cutting waste. Improving access. And we save money in other ways, too... it's actually extremely expensive to have such an unhealthy population.
Q: I am really mad about the way you are portraying me and I am going to leave long comments on this post about how wrong you are.
A: Okay, great. Start by telling me if you agree with the statement "everyone deserves healthcare."
Q: Even "illegal immigrants?"
A: Yes. Everyone, all people in the United States deserve access to healthcare. In a society like ours it should be a human right, not a luxury for those who can afford it.
