“Who’s gonna pay for it?” is a common refrain heard when the subject of CalCare or Medicare for All comes up. Such individuals will often frame their hesitation in the guise of financial responsibility. Certainly, the price tag can give many people pause. Thinking about such figures is enough to make people envision scenarios of complete economic collapse with the rise of roving bands of thieves in heavily armored vehicles fighting each other for a vial of amoxicillin. (If you have not seen Mad Max Fury Road, it is a great film — not to be confused with Mad Max Furry Road which is Mad Max walking along a dog park).
But I digress.
The answer to this pompous pecuniary posturing is simple: we are already paying for it. We pay twice as much for health care in this country as countries that have a CalCare or Medicare for All system.