Health Insurance is Not Like Auto Insurance

Publius Forum ^ | 09/17/09 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

During his healthcare speech last week, President Obama tried to compare his idea of compulsory health insurance to the practice of mandatory auto insurance now in effect in most of the States of the Union.

But as a recent Fox News piece by Judson Berger proves, car insurance is nothing like forced healthcare insurance. The main reason the two do not compare well is that mandatory auto insurance covers other people, not the driver. But forced healthcare insurance covers the individual, not any indemnity against the individual’s actions against others.

Additionally, there isn’t anything truly compulsory about mandatory auto insurance. After all, it isn’t mandatory that one drive. If you don’t want to pay for the insurance, don’t drive. Additionally, there is no compulsion to pay for insurance that covers yourself or your car.

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

[Mobile Vulgus]

As usual, Obama is wrong on everything.

[wordsofearnest]

He’s right about one thing though, you don’t have your auto insurance pay for your oil changes or new battery.

[Argus]

States only mandate liability insurance, to protect other people from the driver’s negligence or failure. So I guess Obamacare is meant to force me to pay to cover my neighbor’s needs. Oh right, it is.

[Domandred]

No comparison.

If my car engine blows up and I take it to the shop they don’t take car insurance. They also tell me to take a hike if I can’t pay for it.

If your appendix blows up, you go to the hospital and you don’t have insurance and can’t pay for it they are still going to get you into the OR and take your appendix out.

[mbarker12474]

And... It forces you to pay for the national healthcare workers union, which, by the way, is a voting bloc representing 1/5 of the national economy. Or will be, if things work out according to the Democrat plan.

[Reagan Man]

The federal government doesn’t mandate that people have auto insurance. Its a state issue. Not that it can’t quickly become a federal mandate, however. Forcing people to have insurance of any type is something that can be legislated at the state level. There is nothing in the Constitution that gives the federal government such power.

[Above My Pay Grade]

Execellent points, immediately after the speech I was saying the same thing, about auto insurance only being mandatory to cover injuries to other people and damge to their cars, not yourself or you own car.

With all the prepartion that Obama (or the TOTUS programmers) must have put into his “game changing” speech, you’d think they would have realized that. Either Obama was being extremely intellectually dishonest (I can say that, I’m not on the House floor) or is amazingly ignorant regarding the basics of daily, American life.

Of course, this is the guy who talked about “Profits to earings ratios” on stocks, so I’m leaning towards ignorance, on this one.

He made a similar goof/deception, in a previous nationally televised speech, when he claimed it was “unfair” that a rich guy, in a higher tax bracket, gets a bigger perecentage tax break on his charitable contributions, than poorer folks, in lower tax brackets. He seemed to not comprehend that this was because the rich guy was paying taxes at the much higher rate, to begin with. Why should a lower income guy in the 15% tax bracket get a 28% tax break on his contributions?

[lowbuck]

Years ago, I lived in upstate NY and had a small business. I was younger then, but being responsible, I looked into getting a private health insurance plan.

However, just about that time, the state of NY decided to tell the insurance companies that they could not “distinguish” between lifestyles and existing conditions. Of course, this was a sop to the homosexual community and AIDS.

Needless, to say, I did not bother to pay the 5x higher premium and soon moved to another state where some sanity prevailed.

Now, Obama wants to do the same on a national scale. Where will you go?

[nagdt]

FREEP THIS RALLY!!

Found this from MOVEON.ORG

‘Big Insurance: Sick of It’ Rally

Blue Cross/Blue Shield Offices, 8200 I-10 West (Map)
San Antonio, TX 78230
Tuesday, September 22nd, 11:30 AM

I would assume there will be MoveOn org rally’s nationwide.

[Dixie Yooper]

There's many good comments here, but there is one very obvious one that's missing;

Auto insurance isn't mandatory, unless you own a car!

[GOPJ]

Like car insurance? When they force me to pay the same car insurance rate as a drunk who's caused 20 accidents in the last two years - it's ObamaCare.

When the rate I pay must cover illegals in my country who will not be required to “buy” insurance, it'll be like ObamaCare.

If the same old, same old dependent crowd gets “free” insurance on my dime, it's more like ObamaCare.

If I object when the President calls me a racists when I think he's lying that my rates won't go us - then it's like ObamaCare.

[Polynikes]

I wonder how the Feds will work Obamacare. No where in the Constitution is it enumerated that the Federal government can mandate someone buy health insurance. All powers not enumerated are left to the individual states or the people per the 10th amendment. Some states, I believe, like Texas have expressed reluctance to cooperate. What will the Feds do if a state draws a “line in the sand” ie: refuse to cooperate? What then? I suppose they could withhold Federal funds for highways and projects etc. The states could easily up the ante by refusing to collect federal income tax. What then? Federalize the NG and invade? If any states stick to their principles a dangerous game of chicken will ensue

[socialismisinsidious]

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