Friday, July 03, 2009

The So-Called Uninsured

There are lots of numbers being thrown around in the “let’s nationalize health care”, but a big one is the number of people that have no health care insurance.

A largish chunk of that number are the many millions of illegals who are living here, and try to live “under the radar”, so to speak.

But another, non-trivial portion is those who are too healthy to be worrying about health insurance. The 20-somethings who would rather buy another case of beer per month than pay for something they are probably never going to need. To them it is a highly preferable, but ultimately non-essential, portion of their monthly budget. If it is offered as a part of their job, they might, and they might not.

But that is a lifestyle choice they make.

One about to be taken away from them if the Senate version of the recent health care bill gets passed.

That bill will penalize anyone who does not have health care $1,000. (Presumably that money will be used to insure him or her whether he chooses to participate or not. But, given that we are dealing with a bureaucracy, that is by no means a given.

Isn’t that nice? Either you already have a policy, you buy into the government’s policy, or you get fined and are signed up against your will. And with any private policy having to compete directly with the government that oversees.

Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose, until the Government fines you and forces your hand.

Tree. Rope. Politician. Some Assembly Required.