[byebyetech]

So if USA is producing so much oil why is it not able to pay for things like Healthcare? Presumably oil coming out of the ground is free. Where is that money going?

[craftyguy]

> So if USA is producing so much oil why is it not able to pay for things like Healthcare?

We have 'better' things to spend money on, like 'defense' (/s).

> Presumably oil coming out of the ground is free.

It's not free, it costs money to discover, extract, transport, process into anything usable, transport again, etc.

> Where is that money going?

Probably the companie(s) that discover, extract, transport, process, transport, etc. And their shareholders. And politician friends.

[WillPostForFood]

The US spends plenty on health care, we just don't get good value. Medicaid and Medicare alone are 1.5x defense spending.