Early on, there was a lot of discussion about how everyone had to do his/her share, and particularly that the government had to do its share. That became a mantra, and you still see it repeated all the time in the press. It got dropped in the group discussion, though, shortly after someone pointed out that the government doesn't have any money it didn't take from us.
The whole 'goodie two-shoes' aspect of the wellness section irritates me no end. Particularly since the state of the art regarding knowledge about connections between life-style and health outcomes changes on an almost daily basis. I doubt that I'll be the first in line to go get my 'voluntary' life-style assessment done.
California Focus: Bad medicine, at higher costs• Mandating that individuals buy insurance is as simplistic as mandating that everyone buy the food they need or the houses they live in. Income tax penalties are unlikely to force people who do not think they need insurance or want to pay for it to do so. There would still be many uninsured.
• Government-provided health care to all children necessitates both higher and unmanaged spending. Who will determine the exact nature of the health care that every child really requires – including every child of illegal immigrants? The parents, who pay nothing? Or the doctors or the providers or the insurance companies billing the government? Or the government itself? However implemented, it will entail a lot of new spending.
• Although prevention is very important, insurance companies should not be required to provide "wellness" coverage. That means they must pay your gym membership. And your bills from Weight Watchers. And your stop-smoking clinic. On top of the huge list of specific treatments currently mandated for health insurance, will "wellness" coverage bring the cost of insurance down?
• Government-funded clinics in elementary schools would put schools in the health care business, which is infinitely beyond their competence. It would distract the schools from what they are already finding to be a very challenging job – education. Such clinics would be a bonanza for public employee unions. They would most likely be less convenient and less available than the new in-store health care clinics at some Target and Wal-Mart stores. And who could doubt that they would be more expensive to operate?