How many people would like to do a startup but don't because they have no food or shelter? We don't really care because the costs of those things are manageable.

The problem isn't that the government isn't paying for it. The problem is that it costs way too much.

You can't be serious. There is a housing affordability crisis throughout the first world.

Housing and food are rights. They should indeed be funded by government, through comprehensive social welfare, and in the case of housing, publicly owned housing.

Only in the most dense urban areas. Not "throughout the first world."

> Housing and food are rights. They should indeed be funded by government, through comprehensive social welfare, and in the case of housing, publicly owned housing.

We do provide public housing and food for those who can't afford it, but the people who utilize it often aren't the ones creating startups.

Are there too many regulations? Insurance is just a business, it seems to me.

Most of the policies are high-deductible, which means you’ll end up paying for the “scratches and sniffles” yourself but have a per-year maximum-out-of-pocket that can be planned for.

It’s not perfect but it at least provides an option whereas before if you had any non-trivial pre-existing condition you couldn’t find any insurance at all.

It seems healthcare.gov is not good enough yet? I don't think classifying government institutions as startups is really correct, though. They have infinite money supply and no requirement to be profitable.