mandatory health insurance

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Okie
Posts: 1281
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2006 5:28 pm

mandatory health insurance

Post by Okie »

I just saw a news report that in Massachussetts they just passed a bill by overwhelmingly large margin to force everyone to buy health insurance. Does this not seem odd in a free country? They said if you dont buy insurance quickly they will raise the cost as a penalty. I beleive they said if you are very poor they will help you pay for it and they also said that most employers will be forced to buy health insurance for the employees.

This just seems wrong.
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Lon
Posts: 9476
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 11:38 pm

mandatory health insurance

Post by Lon »

Okie wrote: I just saw a news report that in Massachussetts they just passed a bill by overwhelmingly large margin to force everyone to buy health insurance. Does this not seem odd in a free country? They said if you dont buy insurance quickly they will raise the cost as a penalty. I beleive they said if you are very poor they will help you pay for it and they also said that most employers will be forced to buy health insurance for the employees.

This just seems wrong.


Some states make it mandatory to have auto insurance. What difference do you see between them?
eyesopen
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 1:31 pm

mandatory health insurance

Post by eyesopen »

I live in the UK we dont have health insurance everyone is intitled to the same level of care paid with our taxes its the one good thing we have going for us! I tend to think it is strange that as you say a free country could make this madatory -suely free means free to choose?
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Bryn Mawr
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Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 4:54 pm

mandatory health insurance

Post by Bryn Mawr »

Lon wrote: Some states make it mandatory to have auto insurance. What difference do you see between them?


Driving a car you can hurt other people and *must* be insured against this so that they are adequately compensated.

Not having health insurance hurts only yourself
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Accountable
Posts: 24818
Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 8:33 am

mandatory health insurance

Post by Accountable »

It's because of insurance that healthcare costs are so phenominally high. Health insurance negates market forces.
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Accountable
Posts: 24818
Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 8:33 am

mandatory health insurance

Post by Accountable »

Diuretic wrote: I think market forces are good for sorting out the provision of some things, things that are not essential like jewellery or cognac, but when it comes to essentials like medical services then market forces need to be constrained by insurance (whether it be socially provided or purchased or a combination). I know you can argue that food as an essential is governed by market forces (I would argue that the big agri companies distort the pure market anyway) but to the best of my knowledge industrially advanced societies don't usually let their citizens starve to death and provide money to purchase food or have charities that provide food.Right. Society, not corporations. Take out insurance to allow market forces to bring prices down to reasonable levels, and then charities can take care of the rest. I can definitely live with that.
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