The New York Times has a good editorial up on the national disgrace (that may be too soft a word) in the sheer number of Americans who lack health insurance. I wonder how many of the folks who felt Terri Schiavo had to be kept "alive" at all costs are interested in helping out sick people who actually stand a chance of getting better and leading real lives.
To me, sheer humanitarian concerns make a pretty airtight case for enabling every American — and yes, even in some cases, illegal aliens, especially their children — to have some sort of "safety net" in this area. But since that won't move some folks to support it, someone oughta itemize the ways in which we personally benefit from everyone having access to health care: Better control of diseases, less crowded emergency rooms, fewer of our friends having to declare bankruptcy, etc.
I even think that my own health care, which comes through one of the major commercial providers, will improve if we have meaningful Health Care Reform in this country. Right now, they know that if I'm not happy with their service, it's very difficult for me to take my business elsewhere…and even if I could, it would only be to another firm trying to make a 35% profit by denying as much coverage as possible.