Buy Health Insurance or Pay a Fine

[SteveA]

Quote by: Athena Low wage workers are expected to work hard, and often they take pride in competing against each other to do the best job. There are also people who volunteer. Money is not the only motivating factor. I am not saying prices will not get even more out of control; they will. However, that is because the US has forgotten its past morality and become excessively materialistic. Perhaps increasing competition could reduce the problem of out of control medical cost and that could be achieved if we stopped protecting the medical profession and those who feed off it, and determined to increase competition.

Thank you, though I'd like to point out that materialism in itself isn't a problem, it's only when people are willing to acquire it at the expense of others that greed causes problems. We should have a justice system that should be shooting down this type of legislation but our justice system is largely broken and legislators are having a field day using police to do their dirty work. I wish some of these people had to enforce these laws themselves.

This is going to hurt lower income people especially. Employers will just have to take the costs out of employee pay, but it's not even a percent of income like Social Security so likely many lower end jobs will simply vanish - some people just can't afford to keep up with the rising medical costs.

They're already expected to pump over a trillion dollars into the drug companies from this prescription drug program the Republicans (yes, and Democrats) voted for. I can't wait for the day the federal government just simply says that teh FDA approves Bush Inc. as the sole drug provider in the U.S. and anyone who doesn't buy enough of them will go to jail. Yes, that's an exaggeration but it's the general flavor of type of stuff that's going on. (Oh, and BTW, we funded some of the medical research for these private monopolies with public dollars too, just to add insult to injury).

The government's suppose to be a peacekeeper, not a ruler. We already had a King George and dumped him before. (Sorry for going off-topic some as that's not directly related to this Massachusetts law)

[bishop]

pat, independent, self-employed people are the same as individuals in general.. they don't constitute a separate group imo.


i'd prefer to give a technical answer to your question, but i don't have enough information.. i gave the example about mandatory car insurance because there seems to be a similarity of sorts.. although the way to get around car insurance is to not drive a car (which is a luxury).. there's no way to get around this law though.. i'm undecided as to whether having health is closer to being a right, or closer to being a luxury.. there are valid arguments to both clashing perspectives.

personally, i think that the state should just drop the penalty altogether and provide individuals with a 100% deduction in their income taxes if they chose to buy their own healthcare. the penalty is by far the most questionable piece in this new policy imo - and if steps aren't taken to ward off price gouging, the people who need to buy health insurance are at a significant disadvantage.. (but, i also believe that it's possible to write this policy in a way that will actually be beneficial to the public - i.e. i haven't written this off as a failure yet.)

also, there are a lot of people in my state (as is the case with every state) who have no health insurance. not everyone makes a lot of money either (and not everybody has their acts together).. if we end up in a situation where a large portion of the population ignores this law, either because of laziness or lack of money, we certainly have a problem on our hands.

[Chancellor]

Quote by: Boetie Massachusetts to require health coverage State will become first to fine the uninsured The Washington Post BOSTON — The Massachusetts legislature approved a bill Tuesday that would require all residents to buy health insurance or face legal penalties. That would make it the first state to tackle the problem of incomplete medical coverage by treating patients the same way it does cars. article What are the possiblities that other states will do the same thing?

I wonder how much the insurance lobbyists paid to get this one passed?

[Chancellor]

Quote by: mlingley This is yet another example of how this country is on a downward spiral. We The People have rights, and it's seems more and more obvious to me that The State decided that it can and will impose it's will on all of us. We are being controlled and manipulated all the time. People need to wake up and start thinking for themselves. Nobody pays any attention and no body really cares. The Corporations are taking over.

I'm still looking for the part of the Constitution that says the government can pass laws to protect us from ourselves.

[jose]

Quote by: tman_ndsu08 I propose to start a health insurance company in MA that will charge only $.01 a month and provide basically no service at all. Just to spite the state.

I think you have to make a large ¨donation¨to the GOP before you can open a health insurance company

[mjo]

QUOTE=tman_ndsu08]
I propose to start a health insurance company in MA that will charge only $.01 a month and provide basically no service at all.


Just to spite the state.
[/QUOTE

Sounds like my insurance. Except, I pay almost 500.00 a month for basically no service at all.

[Technosoul]

So our police departments will be working for the insurance companies, in effect, to force people to buy their policies. Nice to have a product that the police are forcing everyone to buy. Once we invested in some helmets for bikes to sell at the swapmeet and they sold like hot cakes because we had the police telling everyone they MUST buy one - or pay a hefty fine.

First you must buy car insurance, now health insurance, and soon the law will force you to buy life insurance. Slip slip down the slope we go.

A tax supported police deparment forcing us to buy something from a provate business - who can raise rates via secret monopoly agreements at their 'summets'.

Next thing we know they will pass a law that you MUST buy and use every prescription drug that a doctor tells you to get, or else. (and the drug companies will provide the doctors a hansome 'kickback" for prescribing their brands).

This amount to the drugging of America and promotes medical attiction by law.

Is this a capitoalistic verson of socialized medicene? Think about that!

[Technosoul]

Typo goofs in my above posted message should have read ....

This amounts to the drugging of America and promotes medical addiction by law.

I know.... do my edit checks the proper way.... geez.

[tman_ndsu08]

Quote by: jose I think you have to make a large ¨donation¨to the GOP before you can open a health insurance company

Are you being serious?

Quote by: mjo Sounds like my insurance. Except, I pay almost 500.00 a month for basically no service at all.

Then I urge you to drop your policy and switch over to tman-co insurance!

Send me $.01 a month and when you get sick, hurt, or injuried...don't call me!

[Technosoul]

This is like that law they enforced in Texas where they arrested people in bars for being drunk, while the bar can legally sell booze. Next they will walk into a fast food resturant and fine people for eating a super-sized burger because getting fat is a health hazard. We have evolved the sin tax to a more agressive type of program - as noted in that news story.

Stay healthy or go to jail.

Hey, we could take care of two birds with one stone, build a big fense around all our boarders and use it as a jail for everyone inside Ameirca.