Current adults who are struggling to pay for their own health care aren't going to be willing to tax themselves to pay for someone else's health care - especially people who are perfectly capable of paying their own way.

That is the sort of selfishness the GOP has been indoctrinating people with for 45 years: "why should I pay someone else's medical bills?", "why should I pay to educate someone else's spawn?"

the 20 year old who has to pay full freight for their own health care (and pay into Medicare, still)

The Medicare part of the FICA tax is replaced by the VAT. FICA only covers Part A. Part B and D are funded from general revenue, which, in plan Steve, are covered by the VAT. By using a VAT, medical insurance is separated from employment, and tied to GDP, which is growing faster than Prole income.

Secondly, if that 20-somenthing has children now, the premium for his employer provided insurance would probably increase, to cover the spawn. Under plan Steve, there would be no upcharge for the newborn, because the newborn would be, forever, covered by the national health plan.

The problem is not insoluble, no matter how much insurance industry lobbyists insist it is.

Steve