And it's not this.
There does not seem to be much discussion of just what the principle of "insurance" really is. It is "sharing or spreading the risk". It is not the principle of insuring those least likely to use medical care.
Costs for insurance premiums have gone up at least 2,000% in the last 30 years. I find it very hard to believe that corresponds with a proportionate increase in bad living habits.
The subject of this discussion is a red herring. It is a sleight of hand to divert attention from the real causes of expensive health care. There are multiple factors, but THE primary ones are: 3rd party payers and government provided benefits (medicare, medicaid etc.).
These two things, more than anything else, have distorted the health care system beyond any semblence of market driven.
This notion making "them" pay is complete liberal crappola. It's always someone else's fault, make them pay for it.
Seat belts, bike helmets, eating, smoking. None of that has changed in 40 years. But the entire medical care system has changed into a Frankenstein (primarily because of the government). And we rush to blame cigarettes and hamburgers.
We are as dumb and hypocritical as liberals if we believe that our next door neighbor is responsible for this mess.
DING DING DING!!! We have a WINNER!
On the contrary.
One of my part time employees is 100 pounds overweight. Every day, she smokes a pack of cigarettes and brings in food from McDonalds or Burger King. She goes out drinking 2-3 times per week. She sleeeps with at least two different people each week. (Recently she told me that she was being a "good girl" because she has been dating a guy for almost two weeks and has not yet had sex.)
When she went to the hospital Monday, she came back to work asking me for an advance on her paycheck so she could pay for her prescription medication. I told her 'no.'
She went to the welfare office, where she got the money for the prescription and probably approval for her hospital bills to be paid.
SHE is the liberal. SHE wants someone else to subsidize her unhealthy lifestyle.
Why shouldn't she have to bear the burden of certain cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and several types of VD?
Excellent synopsis of the "health care" mess.
Amazing how many "conservatives" here are drowning in the Kool Aid.
Bravo, Standing O
Red herring bump!