I am not trying to get political, or be flippant, I just truly marvel at how easily we are programmed. I mean all of us, myself included.
Private Health Insurers: Free Market!
It came down to this simple realization:
In a somewhat socialized healthcare system,[0] every dollar not spent to benefit the patient is called waste, and we work to reduce it.
In a for-profit healthcare system, every dollar not spent on the patient is considered shareholder value, and we work to increase it.
My hardcore libertarianism ideals died right there, at that realization.
[0] Let's keep it local and say that's medicare/medicade.
[0.1] Sorry, I did get political.
And if we had single pay, wouldn't people still die but now there is someone else to blame? Meaning there is still a budget for care, it is not infinite. There will still be a group to decide what to accept and what not.
Also, a key difference with single-payer healthcare is (generally) the distribution and accountability of program. We'd dispense with "preexisting conditions" and "in/out of network" and provide this service to everyone. Every single person would be eligible, it'd truly be for the citizenry. Because of this, coverage becomes a legislative practice, and if coverage or care is not meeting expectations, it can be changed.
(also, UnitedHealth profit margin was consistently > 20% pre-2024)
If you read or hear the things people are saying, they’re expressing frustration over the way they’re treated by insurance providers and their policies. The costs across the industry are insane, and insurance companies sit at the intersection of all the money, leaching away 15-20% (your numbers) as profit. Go to a Reddit thread about this murder, and you’ll hear stories of all sorts of families who faced existential questions of paying exorbitantly for or losing access to necessary healthcare. Because of a UnitedHealth policy.
It’s a boiling point of the increasingly divided society with growing wealth inequality. It doesn’t matter what the regulations say, people are suffering and they’re lashing out. The narrative isn’t actually about UnitedHealthcare and their profits.