health insurance Forum

[AffirmativeOffense]

I could accept it if the schools provided cheap insurance which would be guaranteed to provide excellent care. But a mandate that doesn't guarantee affordable, excellent health care is truly unconscionable. A health insurance mandate violates an individual's freedom of choice and self-determination, so if one is imposed, it better be a damn good deal, whether it is for public or private insurance. The view that individuals have a "responsibility" to purchase health insurance is just a cover for an insurance industry subsidy.
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:03 pm

I used to agree with this. And then I got really sick and my medical bills were insane and eventually I declared bankruptcy. I now have extremely crappy coverage, but believe me, crappy coverage is better than no coverage. I was always healthy and fit. Didn't smoke or drink or eat fast food three meals a day. I was diagnosed with a serious condition basically out of nowhere and it ruined my life. If you can find a way to come up with an extra three hundred a month, even if it means getting a second job, do it. And if you're truly broke, most states offer some type of health program. To be completely uninsured is fine until the unexpected happens and you find yourself neck-deep in debt with no way out. If you aren't sure if you qualify for a state program, call the social services office in your county/state and find out. If you don't qualify, spend the money. The system sucks and even with insurance you can wind up with debt, but at the very least if you need to be hospitalized for any condition for any amount of time, they nearly always cover it. Hospitalization alone can cost thousands of dollars A DAY. Something as simple as an IV to rehydrate you is a few hundred dollars. You do what you think is best, but having been in the situation, I say coverage is pretty much a necessity.

Everybody agrees with Esc until they get seriously ill. I empathize with your story. It happened to a healthy family member of mine who had a stroke as a result of medication she was taking. It can happen to anyone.

[sanpiero]

Everybody agrees with Esc until they get seriously ill.

[AffirmativeOffense]

But a mandate that doesn't guarantee affordable, excellent health care is truly unconscionable. A health insurance mandate violates an individual's freedom of choice and self-determination, so if one is imposed, it better be a damn good deal, whether it is for public or private insurance. The view that individuals have a "responsibility" to purchase health insurance is just a cover for an insurance industry subsidy.

Partially agree with the affordable part. But I believe not having a mandate for health insurance violates my freedom. Who do you think picks up the tab when people go bankrupt on hospital bills, since many always run in the red? The state does a lot of time- the tax payer. We also pay through higher insurance premiums. We are all paying for the uninsured. That is unsustainable.

[Renzo]

I could accept it if the schools provided cheap insurance which would be guaranteed to provide excellent care. But a mandate that doesn't guarantee affordable, excellent health care is truly unconscionable. A health insurance mandate violates an individual's freedom of choice and self-determination, so if one is imposed, it better be a damn good deal, whether it is for public or private insurance. The view that individuals have a "responsibility" to purchase health insurance is just a cover for an insurance industry subsidy.

This is a false statement. In order for individuals to have a self-detemined choice not to get healthcare, they would have to own the potential downside of not having insurance: dying in the street. People cannot be denied healthcare in an emergency, and no one can seriously claim that they wouldn't go to an emergency room if they were in agony, so people who don't have the means to pay their bills (either in cash or via insurance) are just free-riding, not making a self-determined decision.

[vtoodler]

Most young people are healthy. However, they should still get insurance because they get into a car accident, get food poisoning (like I did), or be the victim of a crime.

Everyone needs insurance. I plan to work extra hours so I can get insurance.

[im_blue]

I could accept it if the schools provided cheap insurance which would be guaranteed to provide excellent care. But a mandate that doesn't guarantee affordable, excellent health care is truly unconscionable. A health insurance mandate violates an individual's freedom of choice and self-determination, so if one is imposed, it better be a damn good deal, whether it is for public or private insurance. The view that individuals have a "responsibility" to purchase health insurance is just a cover for an insurance industry subsidy.

This is a false statement. In order for individuals to have a self-detemined choice not to get healthcare, they would have to own the potential downside of not having insurance: dying in the street. People cannot be denied healthcare in an emergency, and no one can seriously claim that they wouldn't go to an emergency room if they were in agony, so people who don't have the means to pay their bills (either in cash or via insurance) are just free-riding, not making a self-determined decision.

+1. If insurance is not mandatory, then hospital bills should be non-negotiable and non-dischargeable, the way student loans are.