Car insurance and the body tax

[trueblue]

In his recent address on healthcare, Obama claimed that health insurance was not much different from car insurance and should be required of everyone. The comparison with car insurance has since managed its way into every liberal argument for health insurance in the country.

This comparison, and therefore the argument, is bogus. It neglects so many details about car insurance that it is astonishing to believe it even made it into Obama's speech.

For example, I can choose not to have a car and therefore not need car insurance. I cannot choose not to have a body. In this way, a mandatory health insurance policy becomes nothing more than a tax on my body.

In a separate argument, a person is not required to insure their own car, only damage done to others' vehicles. Again, I can choose not to insure myself and face the risk of totaling my car without insurance. This neither raises others' insurance rates nor harms any other person.

So really, car insurance is nothing like the proposed health insurance requirements.

 

[Old Rocks]

In his recent address on healthcare, Obama claimed that health insurance was not much different from car insurance and should be required of everyone. The comparison with car insurance has since managed its way into every liberal argument for health insurance in the country.

This comparison, and therefore the argument, is bogus. It neglects so many details about car insurance that it is astonishing to believe it even made it into Obama's speech.

For example, I can choose not to have a car and therefore not need car insurance. I cannot choose not to have a body. In this way, a mandatory health insurance policy becomes nothing more than a tax on my body.

In a separate argument, a person is not required to insure their own car, only damage done to others' vehicles. Again, I can choose not to insure myself and face the risk of totaling my car without insurance. This neither raises others' insurance rates nor harms any other person.

So really, car insurance is nothing like the proposed health insurance requirements.

OK. So you refuse to be part of the system. Then if you need medical care, you pay for it right up front. And if you end up in the emergency room, and die while they are checking your liquid finances, so be it.

 

[trueblue]

How long does it take these people to run a debit card? If the hospital employees in your precious "system" can't do that in less than five seconds or less I'd be worried about them handling my medical care anyhow.

And yes, I'd prefer just to pay for it when I need it. I'm not wealthy, but I'm young and healthy and don't think spending money on health insurance every month is worth the cost.

I suspect that there are others who would prefer not to have healthcare, including the wealthy that Obama intends to tax to pay for the whole thing. I'd be willing to bet most of them would opt out if they could. Why should they have to pay for everyone's healthcare just because they can afford to?

 

[veritas]

I agree with trueblue to a point. The government cannot force me to purchase private insurance, yet the Baucus POS will do just that. This would clearly be unconstitutional, and pretty easy to kill in court. If there is no public option, then you can't force or tax.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I agree with trueblue to a point. The government cannot force me to purchase private insurance, yet the Baucus POS will do just that. This would clearly be unconstitutional, and pretty easy to kill in court. If there is no public option, then you can't force or tax.

So it's OK to force you to buy government insurance but not private insurance?