Some thoughts on socialism and health care

Ok, I'm going to ask a question.

Is it more expensive and less efficient for Americans to:

a) pay for national defense on their own?

or

b) pay into a common system that takes that money and applies it to a defense system that covers all Americans?


If you chose A, you're right. In fact, it would be impossible for an individual to provide for national defense on a personal level. It's fair to say that what we receive in return is more valuable than what we pay into the system. But how does this apply to health care?

The point is, the same ideas apply to universal (single payer) health care. If we all put in, what we received in return (preventative care that leads to a healthier, more productive society) is more valuable than what we initially give. And, unlike national defense, which can be intangible at best and contentious at worst, health care is something that we can all see a return on in our personal lives.

It just makes sense, so why don't we do it?