The Only Agreement On Healthcare Is NO MANDATE!

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The assertion that an individual mandate that will require most individuals to carry “basic health insurance" is similar to how most states require it's residents to carry auto insurance is not a valid argument on many levels.

The risk to life and property, other then that of an individual who operates a motor vehicle on public roads and highways is unarguably substantial. The risk is forseeable and therefore, such legislation was imposed to protect those who might suffer personal injury or property damage as a result of the actions of another person.

This arguemnt cannot be made in relation to an individual mandate requiring people to carry "basic medical coverage" because such legislation does nothing to protect the health and welfare to persons other then the individual or as a result due to the actions of another individual. There is no quantitave risk that one person opting not to carry personal medical insurance can pose to the health or welfare of another individual.

Secondly, once you allow the Federal Goverment to dictate what Americans do with their after-taxed spendable income, where does it stop? - What will Americans be mandated to purchase next by order of the Federal Government? - Life Insurance? - Travel Insurance? - U.S. Savings Bonds? - Treasury Notes? - Time Shares in Maui? - I know that suggesting mandated time share purchasing in Maui sounds rediculous, but the point is that if you allow it to happen once with healthcare, you not only run the risk of finding out what's next, you lay the foundation for it because something will be next. You can count on it.

Now I'm all for healthcare reform that provides access to affordable medical insurance to those that want to have it, but can't afford it. There are many people in the country that can afford it, but choose not to carry it and the assertion that those who seek emergency room medical care result in a burdin to taxpayers is absolutely laughable. Doctors have a hard enough time getting paid by the private medical insurance companies, the assumption that the Federal Government just hands over payment if full all willy-nilly to every hospital that provided treatment to an uninsured patient is not only laughable, it's hysterical.


I've sought emergency room treatment for kidney stones when I was unemployed last year. I carried COBRA as long as I could, but it was no longer possible. My hospital bill came to $2700 and because I couldn't pay with in 30 days, the account was referred to a collection agency. I paid the bill in 6 monthly payments and at no time did the Government or taxpayers step in to cover my debt and the assertion that such a thing is a normal occurance is laughable.

The federal government allots pennies on the dollar for hospitals to provide treatment to the uninsured for typically trauma related injuries. If anyone thinks that uninsured people are walking into emergency rooms to get kidney or liver transplanst or even life saving dyalisys, you'd be wrong.

I think the problem is with those who seek medical treatment with no intention whatsoever of paying one thin dime. But you know what? - That's not my problem! - I may not have been able to pay my hospital bill within 30 days, but I told the hospital that upfront and they treated me anyway. Now that I work for an small manufacturer that covers my medical, dental, and vision 100% - I've sought out a primary care provider at the hospital that helped me when I needed it most.

If the Government thinks that mandating basic medical coverage is so important, then the Government will have to administrate that process as well as funding it through payroll deductions. They will also have to provide a public option that will insure cost reductions that will make it affordable for those who earn the least.

Another insulting assertion that contridicts other liberal talking points is the claim that an alarming number of uninsured Amercians are forced into bankruptcy over unpaid medical bills. Well.....I thought that bills left unpaid by all of those uninsured deadbeats become the burdin of the taxpayer? - If's that's true, there should not be any unpaid bills or forced bankruptcies.

The fact of the matter is that the majority of those driven to bankruptcy where insured, but went into bankruptcy after being dropped by their medical insurance provider.

If this administration thinks that they can bring about meaningful medical insurance reform by enforcing an individual mandate, without providing a public option, and not funding such a program through payroll deductions, then they will only succeed in making a critical situation even worse.

If congress thinks that they can rely on the individual to manage and maintain uninterrupted medical coverage month-after month, and year-after-year, then they need only to research how effectively Amercians maintain their state mandated auto insurance coverage. Some of the worst collisions occure during those few days and weeks where the individual was uninsured because they simply had to earmark those funds elswhere.

Just imagine if Social Security, Medicare, and State Unemployment Insurance were not funded through payroll deductions and the government just left it up to the individual to calculate their deduction on a weekly basis and then mail in a check to the government at the end of the month. How rediculous is that? - So, I'm not sure how anyone in congress can think that this is a good idea for healthcare?

I would rather see healthcare reform die and whither on the vine then to see Americans forced into paying for something that they do not want, do not need, and in some cases for religious reasons, do not believe in. I find it curious that nobody is talking about the number of Americans that reject medical science and refuse it even if death will be the ultimate result. What about those people? - Are they going to be forced to pay for something that they'll never use?

If this administration imposes healthcare legislation that has an individual mandate, but no public option, I forsee outraged Americans gathering once again in Washington DC, but this time in numbers that will make the Sept. 12th Tea Party look like a fucking TupperWear Party. You can write that down!

Chico Brisbane