When I read about the health care bill currently in the Senate, I immediately felt ill:
In a revamped health care system envisioned by senators, people would be required to carry health insurance just like motorists must get auto coverage now. The government would provide subsidies for the poor and many middle-class families, but those who still refuse to sign up would face fines of more than $1,000.
I wonder how much research has or will be done by the men and women voting on this thing. Massachussetts already requires health insurance on its residents, but did anyone ask them if it works?
It’s hard to trust that the politicians will be thorough and diligent in doing what’s best for their voters on this health care insurance issue, considering how quickly the 1,000+ page stimulus plan was voted through. No one had time to read that whole thing before they voted. (And depending on who you ask, it’s full of crap.. I mean, pork.)
But that’s not what really bothers me.
What bothers me is the idea of mandatory health insurance.
It’s not like mandatory car insurance, despite the parallels some have mentioned. A person could always decide to go without a car.
You’re thinking, “That’s not feasible!” In some cases, you’re right. In other cases, it would be a major pain. But the fact remains that there is mass transit, public transportation, cab companies, and carpool groups that all serve as an alternative to owning a car.
I can understand the logic of a car tax. When you own a car, you drive on roads made specifically for that purpose. Your traffic contributes to the wear and tear of the roads, so your taxes go towards their maintenance. (Please, no comments about all the potholes you have to endure.)
But there’s no option with mandatory health insurance. You’d have to get it. The only way you can opt out is to die. So really, it’s like we’re being taxed simply for being living, breathing U.S. citizens living in this country.
In all other ways that people are taxed, there is some kind of give and take, no matter what you think of the system. You put money into Social Security and Medicare so that you can collect benefits in the future. Your taxes go towards public services and the workings of the government to maintain the country.
At least, that’s how it should work.
But mandatory health care is just taxing me because I live and breathe here as a U.S. citizen.
Also, consider that those who refuse to get insurance may be fined. How will the rebels be found out – when they show up at the hospital? Will you have police stationed at the ER now, to fine the uninsured? Or will there be a door-to-door search?
If they will be fined when the healthcare system learns they are uninsured, why would anyone who cannot afford health insurance ever go to a doctor? So really, the problem of folks without health insurance is not fixed by a mandate.
But what scares me even more is what else will be required in the future.
If health insurance is mandatory, will health care become mandatory too? For example, what vaccines would the population be required to accept? There are vaccinations now, but there is still an element of choice in them. And with newer vaccines — for example, the vaccine against cervical cancer — there are plenty of people with valid reasons to object, both morally and physically.
And who decides what health care is sufficient? Will the government approve or disapprove of certain procedures? The possibility exists that the government could lean dangerously close to eugenics, denying extensive treatments to folks who are deemed too old, too impaired, or simply not useful anymore.
Consider this scenario: An elderly patient with cancer could have several more years with a good “quality of life” if treated intensively for several months. He or She might eventually be denied that treatment in favor of palliative care simply because of their age. It would be deemed “inefficient” to treat their cancer; a committee might decide that the benefits to society do not balance the investment.
Where does it stop?
Write your senators, representatives, and local government officials and tell them what you think of the mandatory health insurance bill.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Heidi // Jul 3, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Ironically, I just found this article on our local newspaper’s web site. Not exactly trust-inspiring.
A woman with terminal cancer is told to fill out a “function report” for Social Security.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/struggling-cancer-and-government-forms
2 Mandatory health insurance? - Health Web Blog // Jul 4, 2009 at 10:15 am
[...] to lift illness insurance only similar to motorists contingency get automobile coverage now. …Mandatory health insurance?by HeidiBut there’s no option with mandatory health insurance. You’d have to get it. The only way [...]
3 Vincent Granville // Jul 4, 2009 at 7:15 pm
If you have no money to pay the $1000 fine, will you be sent to jail? In my case, I’m not on any payroll, so I have no salary and no employer. My health is excellent, I have a very healthy lifestyle and no desire to buy health insurance or to spend time in hospitals infested with resistant viruses.
4 Yohanan // Aug 15, 2009 at 2:25 pm
“Spot on” with your concerns, I too am not a fan of modern medicine, which has been proven to cause more deaths a year via mistakes, and errors in diagnosis, than US gun shot and auto deaths per year. Furthermore, having worked in a hospital OR, and seiing things happen there that if most folks were aware of, some would most likely rather just die under a tree. BTW, which insurance did Jesus have? or George Washington? I guess folks had better learn to take better care of themselves, than eat the “food of deceit” most of them eat today. And, avoid the “sorcery” of modern pill merchants pushing their experiments onto those who neither want or trust in them.
5 Heidi // Aug 17, 2009 at 7:23 am
I’m not against modern medicine, Yohanan, just the part where the government tries to run it.
6 Yohanan // Aug 17, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I too would be the first to go to the ER if my leg were broken, Heidi: By “not a fan”, I meant,… I take my health seriously, by taking responsibility for my health, while possessing enough sense to not trust everyone with a “white-coat and name-tag”. Certainly, a forced mandated health insurance issued by an arrogant assumptive government run system would be the equivalent of treating humans like herds of cattle. And, by modern medicine, one should note that pharmaceutical companies brainwash the masses by fear, run repetition ads at targeted audiences, use doctors as pitchman, patronize the average citizen into “asking their doctor” if cialis or paxil is right for them, and are behind much of the gov’t run healthcare agenda; which they stand to make billions if passed.
7 Harkus // Aug 25, 2009 at 11:25 am
“Also, consider that those who refuse to get insurance may be fined. How will the rebels be found out…”
I have a copy of the proposed bill. It directs the IRS to tax people for health insurance. Then when you show that you have insurance you can deduct from that tax. So that’s how they get you.
Also you will be required to send forms in at the beginning of the year, listing your insurance coverage and your doctor(s).
It’s a nasty, invasive program that also rewards the rip-off insurance companies by requiring everyone to buy insurance.
One more note: What’s the breathless hurry to get this thing through, right now? Different versions take effect at different times, but I think the earliest one doesn’t go into effect until the end of 2012.
So what’s the big hurry to push it through before anyone even knows what’s in it? (Oh — wait a minute — I think I just answered my own question.)
8 Yohanan // Aug 25, 2009 at 12:00 pm
It sure makes a “citizen” consider becoming more like an illegal alien; namely, pay for everything with money orders/cash, obtaining false id’s/proofs, keeping about $50. in the bank at any one time, and covering one’s actual address through multiple passages. That way, when the WHO, CDC, AMA, etc. come looking to inject their mercury potions,(mercury being the most deadly metal to man), into your veins to “help you along”, you’ll be one up on them. And, don’t think it won’t happen; the road is paved for this type of action to commence, it may soon become a requirement to show proof of inoculations to be admitted into the work force, cities, public events, and travel, etc. To make sure “YOU” are not a danger to others.
9 annamay // Sep 25, 2009 at 7:01 pm
how can you mandate health insurance when there are people our of work. how can they pay for the insurance. Students that are out of school and not working and is leaving with there grandparents that is on social security how are they going to pay for there insurance. People that are making $50,000 a year and only making ends meet. How are they going to pay for the insurance. Even if you fine them how are they going to pay for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I think mandating health insurance is for the birds!!!!!!!!!!!!!If you want people to have insurance lower the cost and the deductable down to about a $150.00 a month. Then every one would have insurance. Or make the employers pay the premiums for there employees. I know a quite a few employers who make there employees pay for the full amount of the premiums. $600.00 a month for 2.
SO PLEASE LOWER THE COST AND PREMIUMS SO AMERICANS CAN AFFORD THE HEALTH INSURANCE. I THINK INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE REPPING PEOPLE OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 David // Oct 3, 2009 at 10:57 pm
My wife and I make 45k a year and bearly get by as it is. If I was forced to pay $250 a month on mandatory health care, we wouldn’t have food. I mean as Americans we must have two cars, auto insurance, a house, cell phones, clothes, supplies, etc. All of this shit adds up sooooo fast. And now I have to buy health insurance because my government tells me to. I’m sorry, it’s cheaper to buy a gun and shoot my self.
11 Indira // Oct 8, 2009 at 5:03 pm
This is backwards thinking. How can they expect people that barely making a living in this country buy health insurance when they can barely pay their rent? They are not thinking this one through. The US Government needs to revamp all this, health care is necessary and should not be based on whether or not you have money. You need it, and doctors everywhere took an oath to provide care to anyone that needs it, poor or rich.
I am in the same boat as many Americans. I cannot afford health care, car insurance… just the basic necessities, like many I am barely getting by. I refuse to have something forced on me when I can barely afford it.
I refuse to take this from anyone.
The action they should be taking is to take care of it’s people and have insurance available to everyone, free or very low cost. No one should be fined for being ill, you don’t do that to people.
Canada takes care of it’s citizens, we should be too.
12 Gary // Oct 30, 2009 at 1:40 am
Yea, They claim its about taking responsibility.
They say me and my wife cost everyone else money by doing it without bogus insurance. The insurance company just takes your money and then denies all claims. So why buy it. We take care of ourselves.
We are educated people. We can get the same medicine the doctor pushes for ourselves from mexico. The encounters we have had with US doctors they are idiots anyway, only interested it robbing you blind. If you need something major you just go to singapore where the health care is cheaper and much better that in the US. Isn’t that the free market or am i missing something ?
Create a good healthcare system with non profit insurance that covers everything and pays out al it takes in and I will participate voluntarily.
Try to mandate I buy a bogus product and i just might move out of the US and take all my money and skills with me.
13 Yohanan // Oct 30, 2009 at 8:40 am
One only needs to look at the faces involved, the ones covered with monkey dung pushing this agenda, they are all head deep in cronyism for their unions and insurance pushers. Ever notice that when they talk about working out the problems, the public is never involved? Just the unions, insurance co’s, and publicly funded hospital doctors are in the tank. It is a shame to think these crooked politicians are to blame for all of this, yet folks still vote them into office over and over again, like a bad recurring dream. Our country suffers from extreme ignorance of the facts, has little common sense, and is gullible beyond measure, we could lose our country via stupidity, and there is no place to run.
14 Indira // Oct 31, 2009 at 5:23 pm
“we could lose our country via stupidity, and there is no place to run.”
Amen. I’ve contemplated this many times over. That usually problems that grow out of hand were the cause of a domino effect.
What I mean is that, if education was affordable and available to everyone. Don’t think that it is, despite what worked for you, I had to become homeless and quit a job that paid me too much to be eligible for financial aid, just so I can better my life, what kind of backwards system was this? It’s like after High School, if you weren’t rich or extremely poor you didn’t get shit.
Where am I going with that??? Doctors go to school for a long time, that takes a lot of dedication, that maybe afterwards, they feel miffed about it all. They have to get all these credentials and insurance just to save their degree from all those money hungry individuals who want to sue them for the slightest thing that goes wrong with their bodies. Displacing the blame.
I personally believe that not everyone can become a doctor. It’s hard work. But that doesn’t mean that just because you become a doctor that you should raise your prices, and over bill patients for unnecessary things, nor should insurance companies be allowed to force themselves onto people who are too broke to even afford food.
If it’s mandatory- It better be free. Because my pocket is lint just as many people lives are around here. People are going to desperate measures and creating their own business just to make some money around.
Your lucky if you have a job and can afford your rent and food without depending on the system for helping you out.
Knock on wood that I don’t become seriously ill that I find myself in need. But I take care of myself, look both ways, and keep my nose clean.
Insurance is helpful, but should never be mandatory, thats almost saying that everyone has to wear uniforms and in a certain color, and follow a certain religion.
Most people do not like insurance companies. But for the majority, it is unaffordable right now. This country is in a far more serious crisis than whether or not we have insurance.
I can guarantee that when shit hits the fan ( if it ever does) insurance companies are the last thing people need.
We need real doctors. Doctors that understand that even though they spent a lot of money on their education, they did it for a reason, because they wanted to help people and be of service.
Even if the person does not have “insurance”, the doctor better, cause if a person dies because of this ignorance with insurance companies, they will have to explain why, they didn’t give that person the treatment that was called for. I know I’d be asking that question.
15 Chaze // Jan 5, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Less than $25,000 a year. That is what my wife and I make. I am a college graduate with degrees in Psychology and English Education… yet I have been unable to find any work in either field – ergo I am currently working for $7.35 an hour as a hotel desk “supervisor”. I am not offered any kind of benefits, nor is she at her work (part time in a call center for $7.25 an hour 25 hours a week if we’re lucky). As it stands, we literally barely are able to make ends meet. If there is an issue with our car, we go without. If there is an issue with our apartment, we go without. If there is anything that comes up which is an unexpected cost… we have to go without. Minimum wage is not what it should be; so tacking on yet another ‘required’ bill for us to pay is tantamount to slow and methodical murder. We already have to decide between gas in the car or something other than ramen noodles or $0.49 “great value” canned soup. Where are we going to come up with the additional money for this new mandatory health coverage? Fine, there might be a federal subsidy… but will that cover all of it? I doubt it. What about the additional taxes that come out because we are ‘technically’ uninsured? I am just personally terrified that now we will have to decide between gas to get back and forth to work making minimum wage, food to survive, or health insurance that we have to have and may or may not use.
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