What If We Didn’t Have To Worry About Healthcare?
An American Fairy Tale
My new government-issue healthcare card arrives promptly two days before Christmas on December 23rd, 2022. It looks like a driver’s license, but there’s no photo. Just my name and an ID number that will stay with me until I die.
The crisp image of a bald eagle superimposed over a caduceus is embossed on the card, the new symbol of America’s universal healthcare system.
As I tuck the card into my wallet, the significance of this moment hits me and I smile with relief. I take my old health insurance card out of my wallet for the last time, but I’m afraid to cut it up. Instead, I put it in a drawer with the others even though it’s worthless now.
On January 1st, 2023, 400 million Americans wake up with head-to-toe healthcare coverage, funded and managed entirely by taxpayers like myself.
This includes everything, from routine checkups and tests to treatment for complicated diseases and conditions to palliative and end-of-life care. Our new healthcare system also includes mental health, dental, vision, and emergency care.
This year, I will no longer need to pay hundreds of dollars each month for my health insurance premium. Instead, I can pay down debt, buy some much-needed household supplies, and…
