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The week's question
In December 2024, in the thread "Re: BRK: Why Not XOM?", BreckHutHigh asked the members: "What about the long road trips with kids?" This week it is put to everyone again. The button below opens the small thread re-asking it - read what others have said so far, then give your own answer as an ordinary reply.
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Author: albaby1 SILVER
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Number: of 84361 
Subject: Re: Medicare Buy-In
Date: 08/17/26 5:23 PM
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That's not a good analogy. There are trillions of dollars of physical infrastructure that would have to be replaced, starting from power stations, through every refrigerator and light bulb, and the wiring and electric panel in every home.

Why isn't it a good analogy? There are trillions of dollars of physical and human capital that have been invested in expectation that the current system will remain (mostly) in place going forward. That's why you can't just go and cut reimbursement for medical services by 30%, or whatever.

All it takes is political courage, which the Democrats lack too often.

It's almost impossible to do things that are going to be massively unpopular within a decent-sized portion of the electorate. Again, that's why the doc fix kept getting passed, even though it would be to everyone else's advantage if the federal government flexed their monopsonistic power against medical providers beyond the dastardly pharma companies. The doctors and nurses and lab techs and everyone else in the system would revolt. To say nothing of the patients and communities that depend on marginally economic medical providers, like rural and inner-city hospitals. If you try to exercise that kind of political "courage" (read: malpractice), you just get voted out of office and the proposal reversed immediately.
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This community has written 84,309 posts about US Policy. The article-length ones it recommended most:
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