It's a choice, okay? Pays your money and takes your chances.
America has a long history of self-reliance. Those with good healthcare will continue to receive some of the best medical attention in the world, those with no healthcare coverage are pretty much on their own.
The number of folks hurt will be in direct proportion to those who don't have insurance.
The question is whether it's worth the extra money to protect these folks?
On their own? The other folks are on their own too.
"The number of folks hurt will be in direct proportion to those who don't have insurance. "
No. All you can say is that the number of folks disatisfied that other folks are not paying their bills is higher when the govm't doesn't force "free healthcare" with a tax scheme. If that's done the hurt will continue, because there's always something they'll whine about. Try something more useful like, the number of folks hurt will be less if they'd work to educate themselves and be more self reliant.
"The question is whether it's worth the extra money to protect these folks?"
The only justification for "protection" is to protect rights. No one has a right to the goods and services of others, or to create govm't industrial monopolies. That includes the heathcare industry.
Or maybe we ask them what it's worth to THEM to protect themselves or have their own protection. I can just about guarantee you that every one of these "needy" cases own a car, at least one nice TV and stereo, and a computer.
One of the reasons why poor people are poor is because they will not save one dime and have absolutely ZERO money management skills.
I see people in stores whom I recognize as being poor or borderline by certain behaviors and dress, and their carts are loaded with junk food, for instance. Many of them are overweight in the first place, but they keep buying that crap, they keep calling out for pizza delivery while they sit in their well-heated or air-conditioned homes and watch movies from the video rental store. Some of these people spend enough money on crap food, little toys and trinkets, entertainment and cheap jewelry each month to pay their own medical premiums, at least in part, but they don't want to because there is already a system in place that allows them to spend their discretionary income on useless crap.