Getting Pushed into the Pool.

Some folks, educated folks, are still trying:

Its demise (CLASS longterm care act) does underscore the importance of the much-derided individual mandate that will require most individuals to buy health insurance in 2014 or pay a penalty. That is the surest way, though perhaps not the only way, to push younger and healthier people into the insurance pools to subsidize coverage of sicker people.

Don't do it, people.
Don't push someone involuntarily into the pool of sick people, just because you need to take their money for unneeded, unwanted, unused services to spend on sicker, often wealthier, others.

John Roberts, in his confirmation hearings, compared himself to an umpire.

I wonder... will he serve as a lifeguard too, to take on the bullies who would grab us all and haul our asses into that sorry pool? Sure hope so...

I believe in sink or swim too. I don't condone pushing others into the pool though. That's unfair, unwise, and likely won't help anyone bring down medical costs. It's also ... just plain wrong. Penalizing the non-users, those who properly assess their own risks, don't skip out on their bills, who simply have different medical values and CHOOSE differently.

This issue is so much deeper than simply subsidizing somebody else's already-consumed healthcare. This is about freedom, choice and taking responsibility for oneself.


ADDED:

Right now, if they lack the ability to pay big bills out of pocket, their main options are to try to buy private long-term care insurance or to spend down their assets until they are poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.

Ugh. What a mindset. God knows, no one would ever consider "spending down their assets" actually ... taking care of their own medical needs first, paying what you have saved, prioritizing by putting one's own money where one's own health is.

Mindsets like these are what have badly infected the country and need to be properly exposed and drained out.