Comment by kerkeslager

> You seem to be arguing with a strawman instead of what I'm saying.

No, I'm arguing with the reality of what you're saying. You want to block single-payer if it can't be opted out of--is that a straw man? Obviously not. I'm just telling you that the results of your ideology are not the results you're hoping for. The real results are:

1. Blocking single-payer if it can't be opted out of has resulted in private healthcare subsidies which are more expensive, and also can't be opted out of. What your ideology has achieved isn't the ability to opt out, it's simply to line the pockets of insurance companies.

2. If you want to start a larger conversation about being able to opt out of government services, why start with healthcare--a thing that people literally need to survive? Frankly, I don't believe that you're a principled believer in being able to opt out of tax: if you were, you'd start with one of the government programs which actively harms people. There are dozens, pick one of those taxes to fight for your right to opt out of instead of deciding that people in need of healthcare should die for your principled opt-out stance.

3. The most important reality of your ideology is that hundreds of thousands of Americans are financially harmed, don't receive healthcare, and ultimately, many of them die from lack of care because of right-wing extremists blocking Americans from receiving care. Your ideology literally kills people. Maybe if you got exactly what you wanted people wouldn't die, but the reality is that by opposing single-payer you're aligning yourself with murderers. No, I'm not holding you personally as responsible as a health insurance CEO, but you do bear some responsibility if you contribute to spreading this abhorrent, selfish ideology.

TL;DR: I'm all for a system where we get single-payer and can opt out of it, but that's not a realistic option that's on the table, and in pursuing that goal you're ignoring the real single-payer option and in doing so you're both failing to achieve the results you want and letting people die.