They're Back: Harry and Louise on Health Insurance

A series of political ads starring the fictional couple back in 1994 helped sour the public's view of President Clinton's plan for universal health coverage.

Now, the two are back asking the presidential contenders to make health care their top domestic priority.

The latest Harry and Louise ads, starring the same actors as the earlier ads, will run during the Democratic and Republican Party conventions. While the kitchen table scene will look familiar, the concerns they raise will differ. Previously, Louise spoke of rationing _ "you know, long waits for health care and some services not even available."

This time, she complains that someone the couple knows has cancer but no health insurance.

Harry, shaking his head in sympathy, complains "too many people are falling through the cracks."

I have compassion. I want to help people that are in need. But first let’s make sure they are in need.

Why do we have people that do not have health insurance? In my practice I offer health insurance on a group and individual basis. When I go into a home or when that person comes to my office to discuss the need for health insurance and any other product as for that matter the main question is how much will it cost me. After reviewing the plans and relating the cost the number one complaint is “ the cost is to much”. Most of the time I will review with the client the need for a budget and sometimes they will allow me to use my experience to help make that plan. The biggest problem I find in reviewing the clients expenses is to many toys.

To make this short the clients will have a boat, rv, atv, motorcycle or an extreme home entertainment center and so forth and so on. And that becomes the reason they can not/ will not be able to pay for the health insurance. This is not only limited to the middle class I also find this in the lower middle class. I have people walk in my office making less than $50K per year and they are driving a $30k to $50k automobile. But they cannot afford an insurance plan. They have the toys too!!

We must be very careful in this process of the government being all things to all people. As has been said many times on this and other blogs, we will be working for the taxman and not our families. So before you jump on any government run health plan bandwagon. Ask yourself one question what am I giving up to support Universal Health Insurance Coverage. Then ask yourself what the majority of the people who are complaining about the cost of insurance have in their garages, their yards and in their homes. Some people do need help with health insurance but not 48 million as estimated by obama’s campaign.

So my question about the ad the article mentioned is this, what toy does the couple that Harry and Louise know have in their garage? What did they not give up to purchase health insurance for their family?

We must get back to person responsibility in this Country!!!!!!!! Everyone has a right to spend their money the way they wish but when personal choices begin to affect others you have gone over the line.

What are your thoughts??????

My thoughts are these:

Compassion is for the individual. It's a free choice. I believe individuals should choose to be compassionate and help those in need.

Governments, however, should not be "compassionate". When the government is "compassionate", they're talking about taking your money and mine, without our choice, and giving it away.

Forcefully taking money from some (taxes) and giving it to others (welfare, et al) is not compassion, it's called robbery! To use the word "compassion" in this way is dishonest and hostile to the meaning and spirit of the term.

Both of my sisters-in-law are in worrisome financial straits because their husbands, my bothers, never got enough life insurance or savings to take care of their wives after they died.

I don’t have enough either, but I have way, way more than either of my brothers did. My wife could make it somewhat comfortably for maybe 10 to 15 years if I died before her. But she wouldn’t have enough to guarantee her a comfortable lifestyle for the rest of her life.

I am trying to get into position to rectify that, but at my age, it isn’t so easy. I’m also not in a position to help my SILs, as much as I’d like to. That hurts, too.

Excellent points. Funny, too, I was thinking the other night about a health insurance “outrage” that was peddled by one of the Democratic candidates. Does anyone remember the details? It was a little girl whose parents “couldn’t afford” health insurance; I think she lived in Baltimore. The funny thing was, it turned out not only was she covered under a government plan, but her father was self-employed, he employed the mother as well in some kind of cabinetry business. They owned paid off real estate and the grandparents paid private school tuition for the kids. It was an excellent example of the mentality you describe. Michelle Malkin covered the issue pretty extensively on her site. I think your post makes good points about many of the people who don’t have health insurance.

You are correct that you can be turned down for individual. The people in that category are some of the ones who need help. But that number does not rise to the need for the gov’t disaster of Universal Health Care. The gov’t should make it possible for private industry to come up with a plan and then step away. The gov’t score card is very poor with anything they run. The medicare and the state medicaid programs are a joke and people think the gov’t can run health care for the entire nation and illegals.
God Help US!!!!

So True
People always find the money for things they WANT. Not for things they need. Health insurance should be a budgeted expense just like car insurance, mortgage, food, etc. It is a necessity.

I do in-home sales presentations. EVERY home I go into has a BIG screen TV. Even when it is WAY too big for the room it’s in. How much did that cost? Dont get me wrong. People should have any toy they want if they can afford it. But, then don’t whine about not being able to afford the basics like health insurance.

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