The real litmus is to hear the docs and nurses that work the free clinics speak - you know, the people on the ground doing the grunt work. They say the care they give for free in tents and stadiums is just like working in the third world, and that most of the folks they see are working and don't have care of any kind.
It's either hard for some people to imagine not having care, or they just don't care, but a great way to illustrate it is to watch the latest Bill Moyers show, called Critical Condition. Three families are highlighted. One guy in the show works two jobs for an annual total of $14k, and really illustrates the point. He works two jobs, makes $14k, and obviously cannot afford insurance. His wife gets ovarian cancer, delays treatment for fear of the bills, but ends up needing to have her ovaries removed and follow-up chemotherapy. After surgery, treatment, and medicine, the bills go up over $100k, approaching $150k in the end. How's he supposed to pay for that? How's he supposed to afford medicine and chemotherapy? This guy works hard in the USA.
Another guy has a back problem that starts off as pain but slowly hunches his back over and fuses the bones of his spine to his ligaments. He makes $45k w/3 kids and a wife. They live in a below-average apartment, and can't afford insurance. He couldn't even get a diagnosis for his hunch-back condition. Over time, and as a result of being part of this high-profile documentary, UCLA eventually agreed to do his corrective surgery for free. The surgery was worth $300k, but would have been less had he had insurance and there was early intervention. He even went to Mexico and got a quote of $40k, but even that was too much money since he had to have it all at once. All the surgeons on the show said that 50 million without coverage was a problem. Another guy that works hard, who almost died and left his wife with three kids - which, had that happened, would have been another type of financial burdon on the state, since it's unlikely that with a fourth kid on the way and no skills, that she would have been able to find work.
I ask anyone who's against health care reform to take 45 minutes and watch this show. I have real trouble seeing what could be biased about a show that depicts three hard-working American families struggle with health care issues. The reality is separte of politics. If you consider yourself an American that really cares about hard-working Americans instead of just yourself, I implore you to not only watch the show but also start thinking more objectively about this issue.
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Kev, Using examples like these are the same as using examples of horrible treatment in England or Canada. You can always find people to suit an argument's needs among 100's of millions. 14k/year with two jobs? One earns 20K making $10/hr full time. Still not much I know, but that's awfully low for any job, much less two. And the number of uninsured, which is different than not cared for, seems to be always increasing by magnitudes of 10 million. Where does this number come from? (serious question, I don't know) Regular, middle class people who oppose universal care don't want their taxes raised even higher to pay for the bad decisions of others. We already do in so many ways. They are not right wing whackos (for the most part). It just has to stop somewhere. Why aren't these folks on Medicaid? Why don't the billionaires/millionaires who support single payer pool their resources and start a non-profit health care company instead of shoving yet another deficit builder through congress. As the pop. gets older (and it's happening fast) who the hell is going to pay for universal care? Our kids at a 75% tax rate? There are too many smart people out there not to find a better way to help those truly in need (not the 25 yr. making 50K who decides he/she doesn't want ins.). People pick sides on this and don't open their minds to truly new ideas, it's the same old crap with someone else paying the bill.
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