Any discussion comparing how the federal government would fund health care with how it is currently funded with our insurance model is, by definition, apples and oranges from the beginning. We (anyone not the federal government) cannot legally create money simply by paying our bills and purchases as the Congress can when it appropriates spending.

This critical distinction “should” shift our conversation away from any “pay fors” and toward what we need in place prior to making equality of health care available to everyone without disrupting the system. If we find that currently available resources are sufficient to provide everyone with an equal level of health care then there is no need to concern ourselves with how we pay for those.

We pay for them via the same method we pay for anything the federal government purchases, by appropriating the funding in Congress and marking up Treasury spending accounts at the Fed with keystrokes. This is completely disconnected from any taxation, general or targeted. The only reason for increasing taxes, in this case, is to draw down a large amount of demand in the economy resulting from so many no longer paying insurance premiums and creating inflationary pressure in the economy.

Keeping the discussion focused on pay fors is how we became the only wealthy country on earth that doesn’t guarantee equal access to health care for everyone. Doing so divides us into imaginary makers and takers and sets us up for the distraction from our purpose that enables. Until we realize the folly of approaching critical needs in this way and begin to properly utilize the power of Congress to manage the economy it is doubtful that we will escape the general decline America has found itself in without blood in the streets.