I was debating a conservative on Twitter about this item. He was trying to tell me that it was okay for people to pay into a system and get benefits out. I thanked him for making a case for a single-payer/universal healthcare system -- we pay into it with taxes, we get benefits out. Naturally, this flummoxed him and so he insisted that the Constitution doesn't allow for healthcare. I responded by directing him to Article I, Section 8.
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
The commerce clause follows, and it allows Congress to regulate, you know, commerce. Business. The right-winger replied: "HEALTH care is very different than GENERAL WELFARE..." And so I offered this:
welfare (ˈwɛlˌfɛə) — n 1. health, happiness, prosperity, and well-being in general
Sorry, Republicans. There's just no way around it. Plus, the founders, namely the conservative John Adams, passed at least one healthcare law while in office.