[itsahoot]

But it cost $25,000 a year in 1975 dollars to do, per person.

That is what was charged not what it actually costs.

[wastoute]

I think that was the cost initially which was why it was so important for the politicians to step in and cover it before the media could turn it into a freak show/circus to manipulate the electorate. Which they did pretty quickly.

Granted, back then, a politician who advocated letting the poor die from renal failure when the wealthy did not would have been suicidal. But no effort to get in front of this all has ever been made and so those politicians became hostage to the media pointing out that leukemia, breast cancer, AIDS, you name it was unfair and these victims had to be taken care of as well. Once the voters pry open the door to the Treasury there doesn’t seem to be any way to push them out again.