Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Taxing the air we breathe

Well, they finally did it. Except it is disguised as a tax on being alive. This seems to be the gist of the government's latest health care plan. We are going to be required to buy health insurance whether or not the individual wants it. Some people would rather self insure.

Of course this is all a subterfuge to get healthy people to pay money to subsidize those at risk. They will call it anything but a tax, a three letter word worse than any four letter word. Why don't we just call a rose a rose, not another name.

6 comments:

Lona said...

It sounds like Gordon wants to self insure and get me to take him off the health insurance policy. I assume this means that he does not intend to apply for medicare either.
My take on it is that healthy diet and lifestye are the best insurance...but accidents can happen all the same.

Innes said...

this whole th;ing it nuts! why should only the people who have decent jobs be able to afford to go to the doctor?? what is so wrong with nationalized health care????

i agree that a healthy lifestyle is the best way to go. how about holding agribusiness responsible for the conditions caused by too much mac and cheese and soda pop?

sorry, i'm running in "rant" mode tonight~!

Lona said...

I like this CR blog comment:
We've nationalized the entire home mortgage industry (which very few other developed countries have done), as well as AIG, and partially GM and Chrysler. Earthquake and flood insurance are also nationalized. Hardly a peep. The government even hands out money to investors to buy distressed assets. But distcuss a national health insurance plan, and the wackos scream bloody murder.

Annie said...

We already pay for this "tax" you're talking about in the form of ER costs (which many uninsured are forced to use as their primary/urgent care) bankruptcy filings (something like 80% are caused by medical bills, and the majority of those are filed by people WITH insurance) and the bloated cost of medical care overall, which is higher as a percentage of GDP than any nation in the entire world. Wise up.

Gordon said...

I view this as a civil liberties issue. If someone wants the freedom of choosing their own means of medical care, it should be their right to do so. I'm for liberty, not compulsion.

Annie said...

it's an inexcusable fallacy to continue to believe that health care providers will be dictated by a single-payer system, let alone a public option. all you have to do is understand Britain's NHS (or the universal coverage in any other country) to see this. does anyone tell you which branch of the library to go to, or that you're not allowed to open a private one?