I thought it was because we had to pay doctors, nurses, caregivers, etc for their labor. If the position is that the government should pay for most of these, sure, but in both cases we are asking for others to labor for us, so they should be compensated.
americans paid $70 billion in 2024 to just cover *profits* for the health insurance industry
Pay them for their labor & expertise--no question. But the profit model--separate from ppl providing services--is grotesque. Ppl pay into a system for coverage *which may or may not be provided* and the person making that decision has shareholders' interest in mind--not folks paying for the service.