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Second, many people choose of their own free will not to be insured and that is their free choice, choosing rather to pay for services as required. That freedom should not be disallowed and they should not be forced by government to "get in a plan".

I think we can eliminate this group of people (i.e.,those who freely choose NOT to get insurance). The topic is about people with PRE-EXISTING conditions. People with these conditions WILL want to be insured.

The question is -- will insurance companies WANT to insure them KNOWING that doing so will COST them a lot of money ?

If the answer is NO ( and you said if competition across state lines are allowed, the answer will NOT BE, which we don't know ), I think the individual will have no choice but to depend on some public option. If this is not available, he/she is out of luck.

If a politician were to honestly present it the way I just did, I don't think he'll be elected on that basis. The thing is --- Most of the electorate want SOME KIND of help for such people. They don't want to leave them hanging.

Sorry...we disagree. Most of the electorate realize that there are somethings the government simply cannot make better, and cannot address.

They realize that attempots by government to do so do not really represent an effort to "help", but much more, and effort to "control".

In addition, pre-existing conditions themselves vary critically in degree, type, and impact. Trying to paint all with one brush is over simplistice and does not allow for the ingenuity of the free market.

Certainly there are pre-existing conditions that can be treated, and done so effectively and efficently and within profit margins when realizing that to allow it to go further will only cost the individual or the insurance company much more. Preople also realize this, and therefore it would be possible to create "plans" depending on the particular situation, where a company could charge for covering treatment in such a way where both can benefit.

All sorts of cancer fall into this category depending on when they are "caught", but which also would qualify as "pre-existing".

As I have stated...the best way, IMHO, is clearly to let the free market address it and keep the government out of it as much as possible.

But now the arguement is getting circular. I have made my points and am content to let others read them and make their own decisions.