Originally posted by: shira
Originally posted by: Xellos2099
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...s_health_care_overhaul
I found it very funny and interesting that the democrat can actually think of even the idea of fining people for not buying health insurance.
People are against it, Obama seems to be against the idea too, then how come these call so democrat can think of such insane idea? These are suppose to be our representative, yet they don't even represent a fraction of what people really want.
People are against it because they don't understand why it's necessary. And the fact that YOU call it an "insane idea" is an indication of how limited your own understanding is.
Consider: Let's suppose you're young and in good health. So you decide to "take a chance" and save money by NOT purchasing health insurance. That works well for several years, but then - against the odds - you get cancer or contract AIDS and need expensive, ongoing treatment, OR you fall off a ledge and need major rehabilitative care.
You have no money, and your care costs several hundred thousand dollars. So, who pays for your medical care?
Right now, the insured would pay for your care, by way of higher premiums. Plus, there are government subsidies to the hospitals who care for you. In other words, you costs would be borne by the rest of us.
By forcing you to have medical insurance at some basic level, you become a part of the solution rather than one of the problems.
Also, by spreading the insurance pool among almost all Americans (the current guess is that 96% of Americans would be insured under various public and private plans if the UHC proposal passes), the cost of insurance for the sick or elderly or those with pre-existing conditions can be kept at a moderate level.
So the young would pay somewhat more than they cost to the system, but they would benefit as they get older and pay less than their cost to the system. Ultimately, over the life of the individual, the cost would be reasonable and fair.
One of the reasons our current system doesn't work is that the insurance companies cherry-pick only the healthy for private polices (rejecting those with "pre-existing conditions," even if those individuals have never been ill). Conversely, the young and healthy reverse cherry-pick and opt-out of insurance. Those two factors cause major problems, and ANY "solution" to our current health care mess cannot allow those factors to continue.
Thus, a mandate for individuals to obtain health insurance is just the opposite of insane. It's one of the few things that make sense. And most legislators - both those on the let AND those on the right - AGREE that it's necessary.