Should Americans be required to buy health insurance?

[Roger Wilco]

Canadian death panels? You've obviously never been here, hunh? I'm really hoping you were being sarcastic

I was being sarcastic, but I don't blame you for not being sure when there are actually people out there who say similar things and mean it seriously.

 

[Trippy]

^scary, but true

 

[T'Girl]

Nope but insurance companies shouldn't deny coverage nor use pre-existing conditions to prevent people from getting health care.

Taking care of the pre-existing condition problem is a regulation change, good idea. Why does everyone have to sign up for (government) medical insurance to change a regulation, they don't.

But, again, the real problem is the cost of Health Care itself; until that is dealt with, the problem will not go away.

How could it be helpful to ensure that the population has access to affordable health insurance?

By ensuring that the citizen have access to affordable medical care, if the cost of basic health care is reasonable you don't need insurance, shouldn't need insurance. If the costs of more serious problems were reasonable then the insurance premiums wouldn't kill you.

The GOP alternative, of course, consists of "let them die."

Correction, the Republican alternative would be "let them choose."

We already pay for the medical expenses of those who can't afford their own care. They rack up bills getting treated, they can't pay, and the cost is passed on to everyone else.

You've just described government provided health care. Congratulations.

Not my problem that I have medical conditions that I couldn't control at all.

And how is it the "fault" of all the people who you want to pay your medical expenses?

 

[Misfit Toy]

Not my problem that I have medical conditions that I couldn't control at all.

And how is it the "fault" of all the people who you want to pay your medical expenses?

Why did I have to pay school taxes beforeI ever had a kid?

 

[T'Girl]

Not my problem that I have medical conditions that I couldn't control at all.

And how is it the "fault" of all the people who you want to pay your medical expenses?

Why did I have to pay school taxes beforeI ever had a kid?

Because "it for the children."

 

[Misfit Toy]

And how is it the "fault" of all the people who you want to pay your medical expenses?

Why did I have to pay school taxes beforeI ever had a kid?

Because "it for the children."

So the payment of his medical expenses "are for those who need it".

 

[RJDiogenes]

Surely you're not saying that American society should promote the general welfare!

 

[StarryEyed]

Surely you're not saying that American society should promote the general welfare!

Call it the price of civilization.

 

[I'm Kirk]

All employers should be required to provide insurance for their employees, ideally from day one (or at least a reasonable amount of time - like a month - after hiring). That's about as far as the government should require, IMHO.

That sounds good except if that is to be, it should be for businesses that have a certain amount of employees. My wife's aunt has a business but very small, only 2 employees, no way could she afford insurance for those 2 employees, she doesn't bring enough money for that..

 

[TorontoTrekker]

All employers should be required to provide insurance for their employees, ideally from day one (or at least a reasonable amount of time - like a month - after hiring). That's about as far as the government should require, IMHO.

That sounds good except if that is to be, it should be for businesses that have a certain amount of employees. My wife's aunt has a business but very small, only 2 employees, no way could she afford insurance for those 2 employees, she doesn't bring enough money for that..

However, it could be argued that just as having a business license is required to run a business, providing health insurance for your employees should also be required as part of the cost of being in business. It doesn't need to be horrendously expensive - that's the purpose of spreading out the cost over the entire population.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Businesses with two employees will not be required to buy insurance for those employees.

The limit in the Senate bill, if I recall correctly, is 5 for for construction companies, and 50 for all others.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Surely you're not saying that American society should promote the general welfare!

We could consider it "providing for the common defense". Got to have a healthy populace to defend us!

 

[RJDiogenes]

Personally, I think it falls under "in order to form a more perfect Union," but maybe that's just me.

 

[T'Girl]

Businesses with two employees will not be required to buy insurance for those employees.

The limit in the Senate bill, if I recall correctly, is 5 for for construction companies, and 50 for all others.

The fourteenth amendment call for equal protection under the law, you don't thing the surpreme court going to find that construction outfits with less than fifty employees do not have to provide?

 

[RJDiogenes]

There are already many regulations that differentiate between size and type of business, and are not unConstitutional; certainly the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees Equal Rights to individuals, would not be the basis for finding them so.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

There are already many regulations that differentiate between size and type of business, and are not unConstitutional; certainly the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees Equal Rights to individuals, would not be the basis for finding them so.

Yeah, this. The equal protection clause doesn't apply to businesses. That's got to be one of the more absurd notions I've heard around here.

 

[datagal]

Businesses with two employees will not be required to buy insurance for those employees.

The limit in the Senate bill, if I recall correctly, is 5 for for construction companies, and 50 for all others.

The fourteenth amendment call for equal protection under the law, you don't thing the surpreme court going to find that construction outfits with less than fifty employees do not have to provide?

Now you're saying that businesses have individual rights???

Go back and read the fourteenth amendment again.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Surely you're not saying that American society should promote the general welfare!

We could consider it "providing for the common defense". Got to have a healthy populace to defend us!

Personally, I think it falls under "in order to form a more perfect Union," but maybe that's just me.

Oh gee thanks a lot, now you got that Schoolhouse Rock song going through my head. Well two can play at that game!

It's the PREAMBLE SONG!

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Groovy.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

Not my problem that I have medical conditions that I couldn't control at all.

And how is it the "fault" of all the people who you want to pay your medical expenses?[/QUOTE]

Good question. Of course, the answer is we should all (able bodied adults) be responsible for our own insurance. That insurance should also be affordable and not run by an entity that cannot deliver a piece of mail.

Most people can see that this is not about health insurance. It's about politicians believing they are better qualified to manage our lives than we are.