A Short Note On Health Care

The issue concerning me right now is this bizarre assumption in the debate that insurance magically equates to health care. This is not now, nor has it ever been true.

What most people apparently want is the government to magically shit them healthcare without charging them anything. I am reminded of the old joke about going to heaven: Everybody wanst to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. Similarly, everybody wants to go to the doctor but nobody wants to pay. Somebody has to pay. Somebody always pays. We are not yet living in the magical post-scarcity universe posited by Iain M. Banks or Charles Stross, and we should all know what that means. There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

So, let’s ask the question everybody wants to dance around. Why should someone else pay for your health care? Given that health care isn’t a true public good, why is it even the government’s business? If somebody could answer these two questions, I’d appreciate it.