Bi-Polar Bear wrote:lower costs and mandate why the hell not? Just lower costs. I don't hear anyone complaining about auto insurance, that's mandated... and try dropping your auto insurance and see how that works out.
This year, with my income stabilizing and heading back upward... health insurance is THE NUMBER ONE THING on my radar....
Everyone needs it. Having said that, I also believe and hope that there is a special 10th. circle of hell for the health insurance industry.
You are NOT required to carry collision or comprehensive insurance on your automobile, however, if you decide you will accept the risk in not having it. You ARE required to carry liability insurance to protect the other guy IF you are going to drive on public roads. You are NOT required to buy insurance if you drive only on your own property, however, or if you park your car and decide you just won't drive.
You are NOT required to buy insurance on your home or possessions if your house is paid for. You are allowed to assume whatever risk there you wish to assume.
You are NOT required to buy liability insurance on your business and you don't have to buy workers compensation insurance if you don't have employees.
So why should the government force anybody to buy health insurance?
The argument is made that if they don't, then the rest of us have to pay. Well we will have to pay for unused insurance too. And all we have to do is make sure there is insurance that can be acquired somewhere for people who want it and then pass a law that says doctors and hospitals do not HAVE to treat uninsured people if they don't want to. That alone would be a powerful incentive for people to get insurance but it would not force them to.
I don't understand why some are so gung ho to give the government even more power to dictate to us what we can and cannot do when the only person affected is us.