I like basic income, but I have a real problem with arguments like this. I mean, I get that technically you could eliminate all our other social welfare programs and institute a UBI; however, people always having a livable wage (i.e. enough that the average person could live on) is a totally different issue from, say, the seriously ill (which is to say, not your average people) being able to afford medical care. So for me using the UBI to rationalize eliminating all other forms of social welfare is dangerous and kind of irrational. Thoughts?
I think it's a good argument that we could drastically reduce the amount of money put into social welfare programs, and even better, use a portion of that money to reinvest in programs where the people that still need it will get better care and coverage. At least until, as has been stated, we get to truly universal healthcare.
Most articles that make comparisons like ubi vs current welfare will consider healthcare spending a separate issue and don't use the numbers in their ubi math. Can you link me an example where it's suggested to eliminate, say, medicare to help pay for ubi?
I'll be honest, I don't know of any articles that mention Medicare or health programs specifically, it's just when people say things like "anti-poverty programs" or "social welfare" I tend to think of healthcare as a part of that. Am I reading too much into those phrases?