The 2nd sentence was just a rhetorical point designed to nudge people into having some doubt about the statistic. I myself came to that conclusion long before appreciating its effect on the government budget, from watching the CPI and what I believed to be "true inflation" starting in the dreadful '70s (yep, I remember Nixon's wage and price controls), when I believe it was a lot more honest, say at least through a good part of the '80s.
Your subpoints aren't quite all the same, a good Upton Sinclair quote that's been bandied about lately "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!", so e.g. #2 doesn't apply, the public health system doesn't make much money at all on vaccinations, that's more of a True Believer thing. See e.g. Governor Gardasil.
And I tried real hard in the 1968-80 period, 2nd grade through first year of college, and of course beyond, to seek out the truth at all costs, having decided at the end of 1st grade that science was my calling. And I think I got somewhere, although of course what you cite is always a danger.
Your subpoints aren't quite all the same, a good Upton Sinclair quote that's been bandied about lately "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!", so e.g. #2 doesn't apply, the public health system doesn't make much money at all on vaccinations, that's more of a True Believer thing. See e.g. Governor Gardasil.
And I tried real hard in the 1968-80 period, 2nd grade through first year of college, and of course beyond, to seek out the truth at all costs, having decided at the end of 1st grade that science was my calling. And I think I got somewhere, although of course what you cite is always a danger.