Free healthcare? agree or disagree

Had to mention the blasted dentist Dental care is soo expensive. I have good coverage compared to most people (free cleanings/xrays) but still pay 20-50% on everything else!!! and i have bad genetics and got lousy teeth. and my insurance, like most, only pays $1000/yr.

With respect jonnythan, the health system in the US doesn't read all that rosy to me. Competition for costs is fine, but a system just doesn't work when people who are low income owners through no fault of their own can't get the care they need - or worse still, are forced into bankrupcy when they can't pay the bill.

These are some stats I found from a site - the National Coalition on Health Care, the link is attached. https://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

National surveys show that the primary reason people are uninsured is the high cost of health insurance coverage.2
Economists have found that rising health care costs correlate to drops in health insurance coverage.8
A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that the average out-of-pocket medical debt for those who filed for bankruptcy was $12,000. The study noted that 68 percent of those who filed for bankruptcy had health insurance. In addition, the study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses.9 Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.
A new survey shows that more than 25 percent said that housing problems resulted from medical debt, including the inability to make rent or mortgage payments and the development of bad credit ratings.10
About 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure every year due to unaffordable medical costs. 11
A survey of Iowa consumers found that in order to cope with rising health insurance costs, 86 percent said they had cut back on how much they could save, and 44 percent said that they have cut back on food and heating expenses.12
Retiring elderly couples will need $250,000 in savings just to pay for the most basic medical coverage.13 Many experts believe that this figure is conservative and that $300,000 may be a more realistic number.
According to a recent report, the United States has $480 billion in excess spending each year in comparison to Western European nations that have universal health insurance coverage. The costs are mainly associated with excess administrative costs and poorer quality of care.14
The United States spends six times more per capita on the administration of the health care system than its peer Western European nations.14

To answer the OPs question, no I don't think people should get "free" healthcare... I prefer the term "Universal Healthcare", because it is not free.
It may be free to the bums, but it comes out of the pockets of those who do work.

Bums don't deserve health care?
Seriously......what should they do? Die in the gutter?
If they got the health care they need, and someone else pays for it, isn't that cost at someone else's expense but also, the right thing to do because they are a human being?

nothing is free

I don't know about you, but I don't want to pay for some jobless guys health care.
I pay for my health insurance, if he wants cheaper health care maybe he should work and earn the money to get it. That's how I feel about it.
People who live off the government really are just a burden on society, in my opinion.

yes it should!!

Feel free to pay for it, unless you would like to see bums dying in the gutter.

Nope.

Free healthcare is never good.

Too many reasons to list.

That is one thing i defiantly disagree with in the democratic party.

I think basic healthcare & emergency care should be free. It's more expensive to treat critical illnesses that have developed because of lack of medical care. As people get older, their health deteriorates & often they have even less money to afford services. It would be more cost-effective to provide free care when illnesses are at the early stages.

Well we do sorta have that. Free clinics and such. As far as emergency health care...I do see what you mean. Its DEFINETLY costly, though that's mainly because it is. Helicopter rides and ambulance rides arent cheap...each has to cover the cost of insurance, liability, paperwork, call centers, EMT's, paramedics etc. I worked as in EMT before and I do see the expenses and can validate them. Its not cheap.

Though...I do think that we can meet in the middle. Make the cost lower somehow.

What is important? Every life has the potential of changing the world but to reach it they must have the tools, education, and support to do so. If one person is sick then we all are sick for that one person could be the one that could have made our world a better place to live. The common good is the only good. If you win and someone else loses then we all lose. It is to our benefit to see that everyone has what they need to be all that they can be.

You left out 'desire'. All the tools, education and support is worth nothing if there is no desire, will, or determination. To me that's why there's so much poverty and crime. There are just too many people that just don't care.