You don't like parents be able to include children up to the age of 26 on their family insurance policies? No, I do not.
You don't like insurance companies being barred from rejecting applicants for coverage because of pre-existing conditions? No, I do not.
You don't like insurance companies being barred from imposing lifetime limits on benefits? No, I do not.
You don't like poor families being provided with subsides to help them afford health care coverage? No, I do not.
Because "Europe" is a single entity with one monolithic healthcare system.
:facepalm:
....and neither does anyone else.
What part of this stupidity, the ACA, do you find worthy of keeping?
Correct, it is not. The EU member states would NEVER allow an EU based one size fits all healthcare system to be forced onto them. They know it would be way too costly and would fail miserably. This is one of the reasons everyone should be able to understand (even Europeans, who seem to magically lose the ability to do so when it is about the US) why a US Fed Gov healthcare system is doomed to failure.
The basic idea of a universal mandate with insurance provided by private companies is a pretty solid one. Check out:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2011/04/29/why-switzerland-has-the-worlds-best-health-care-system/
The article is in Forbes so no whining about left-wing sources.
There are plenty of details that the ACA gets wrong. It does nothing to reduce medical bureaucracy & paperwork & doesn't address malpractice reform but at least it offers a path toward near universal coverage that doesn't involve a gov't takeover of healthcare and forces people who currently freeload to get insurance. I'm also not thrilled with the massive expansion of Medicaid or the fact that it does nothing to increase physician supply (since demand is sure to go up) but the basic concept is a solid one IMO.
Under ObamaCare the private sector will continue to provide healthcare. Hospitals aren't being taken over by the government and most people who aren't currently on Medicare or Medicaid will continue to be covered by private insurance plans. The ACA does expand Medicaid coverage (something I'm not thrilled with) but it is NOT a UK style socialized system.
None of that is true.
Unlike the US though the EU is not a single nation-state.
You also cant pursue happiness when you are dead... but minor details right?
Unless you know you can pursue it to a greater extent while dead... you might have a point then.
In which case that is contradictory to the life part though.
E Pluribus Unum
That said, the example is still sound.
Um, no. There are much greater difference in culture, demographics, systems of government, wealth, etc between the different EU member states than there are between US states.
All going the way of Greece over time.
1) The Europeans in general have a very different conception of government than Americans do, particularly when it comes to federalism and taxation. I've found myself on many occasions having to explain to Europeans (or even Canadians) why Americans so dislike taxes.
Compare Germany's fiscal situation with ours.
That's part of the reason I think that the Swiss system is the one we'd be best of emulating.
Um, no. There are much greater difference in culture, demographics, systems of government, wealth, etc between the different EU member states than there are between US states.
or we could just do our own thing and not emulate anyone
2) As for the particular case of this health care law, here's what I don't get: If the federal government were to raise the income tax across the board 2% (which they are allowed to do) and offer a tax deduction of 2% for healthcare coverage, no one would have a constitutional objection. We have these kinds of deductions all the time for things like college tuition, mortgage payments, insulating your house, etc. Do these constitute an illegal individual mandate? What is the difference between such a tax deduction system and a flat-out mandate, other than simplicity?
Nothing like reinventing the wheel, eh?
See bolded. Europeans in general have far better work-life balance than those of us in the US, and many can't understand why we devote so much time to our "careers." I put that in quotes because I think people who define themselves by a job are sad and need to get some perspective on life. That's one area where the Europeans are far ahead of us.
Now you're flat out making things up. ACA requires people to buy insurance from insurance companies. That's the whole thing that some people object to, Americans being forced to buy a service from a private company by the government.
Agree completely, I've personally adopted a work-to-live, not live-to-work attitude. I'd gladly trade income for flexibility and sane work hours. Fortunately I've found a job making pretty good money which is also pretty good to its employees and doesn't work them to death.
When the wheels you have to emulate are devised of squares, triangles, and the round ones are only made of paper mache, it is a good idea to reinvent it.