Ukraine

History sure is rhyming, but the roles are kinda reversed. From a perspective of someone who doesn't live in the US, vietnam & afghanistan sure seemed like a major waste of money. Both of those wars put US in the position of having to invest major amounts of money and manpower for the fighting.

Now US is spending comparatively "small" amounts of money to fund a proxy war, and russia is in the position of putting people to the meatgrinder.

Historically these proxy wars have favoured the power player, which is supporting a proxy country.

Also from an investment point of view, a weaker russia would incentivize foreign countries to maintain better relations with the US, including economical ones.

Additionally a version of Ukraine that was supported by the US would surely be keen on building strong relations. The country has a large population with a strong basis on technological industries, and could be seen as a major ally.

The american healthcare issue is a completely separate issue that isn't solved by isolating the country from all foreign politics. If you're looking for a publicly funded healthcare system in the US, you would need several major (some of them painful) reforms.

I live in a country with state funded healthcare, but it's still not as popular as one might think. Many oppose the taxation that is required to keep the system running, even if the current system is cheaper overall than a privately funded one.