General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama administration quietly approves new Obamacare loophole benefiting insurance companies. [View all]merrily
(45,251 posts)to throw a bone to the populace lest it revolt.
It is coming to be my theory that fear of public uprising played at least a significant role in the New Deal and the Great Society--and, in 2008, we were at 1929 levels of crisis, though all of us may not have been fully aware of it then. Between TARP and the massive foreclosures that were not fully underway in 2008, the PTB may have thought it needed to throw the rabble a bone. True, the pickin's on the bones they throw us nowadays are slimmer and slimmer, but they have less and less reason to think we'll actually revolt and more and more reason to feel secure that they can crush us if we do try it. But, that is only my theory. Back to topic.
Remember, hospitals-maybe others-- were required to render emergency treatment, even if the patient had no private insurance or Medicaid or Medicare. Hospitals--many of which overcharge and pay salaries and make profits that any mid sized corporation would envy--were fed up with that.
Requiring all adult Americans to have some kind of health insurance would help out providers considerably.