Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

CA: Proposal: Get health insurance or pay fine (putting teeth in requiring coverage for all?)
LA Times ^ | 4/11/07 | Jordan Rau

Posted on 04/11/2007 9:43:06 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

SACRAMENTO — People who refuse to obtain health insurance could be tracked down by the state or a private contractor, enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay their premiums under one proposal Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is considering as part of his vision for covering all Californians.

The proposal, which administration aides said was one of many the governor was considering, was presented at a meeting Tuesday with representatives from insurers, hospitals, doctors, business groups and consumer advocates.

It drew immediate criticism from critics of the central tenet of Schwarzenegger's healthcare approach, which is to require all Californians to obtain insurance.

Although the governor's office has been emphasizing the efforts it would make to help people find insurance voluntarily — including subsidies to the poor and outreach through schools, state agencies and healthcare providers — the outlines of the enforcement proposal inflamed some of those the administration has been courting for support.

Beth Capell, a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union's California organization, said the fines might be unfairly levied on people caught without health insurance because of circumstances beyond their control. Those included people in between jobs and those starting employment in companies that did not provide healthcare for the first months of work.

"We're going to punish them if they don't go out and buy health insurance on their own — health insurance that they can't afford at the moment that they are least able to afford it," Capell said.

Other proposals, which Schwarzenegger included in the first draft of his healthcare plan, are to attach the wages of people who don't buy insurance and to increase the amount they owe in state income taxes.

Kim Belshé, secretary of the state Health and Human Services Agency, emphasized that "nothing is set in stone." ...

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: arnoldcare; california; dictatorship; fascist; fine; healthinsurance; marxism; proposal; schwarzenegger; universalhealthcare
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-117 next last
To: NormsRevenge
People who refuse to obtain health insurance could be tracked down by the state or a private contractor, enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay their premiums..

Ha! Ha!!! Some evenings I stop at a little store on the way home from work. The store is not too far from a train yard, so encountering hobos in not uncommon. They approach me as I get out of my car and ask for money, usually I suspect for liquor. These folks are broke, homeless, hungry and often drunk. I suspect that they have no address, no ID, no nothin'. So, California, how are you going to fine them when they don't sign up for a plan?? They will eventually show up at an ER for medical treatment, but I can guarantee you they won't be card-carrying medical plan members. Never. The same applies to illegals. And many others. Are you going to "fine" them as well? Nope.

81 posted on 04/13/2007 7:08:10 AM PDT by ExtremeUnction
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Wolfstar

I think he meant they deserve to PAY for it.


82 posted on 04/13/2007 7:19:43 AM PDT by Lizavetta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Oberon
pleikumud might well say the same thing in response to your post #50.

So?

83 posted on 04/13/2007 7:38:36 AM PDT by Wolfstar (When you whip the good guys into rage at the wrong enemy, don't be surprised when the bad guys win.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: Wolfstar
What part of THE RECALL WAS A DISASTER FOR THIS STATE do you folks not understand?

What part of THE GOP WOULD HAVE PUT UP ARNOLD IN THE NEXT ELECTION ANYWAY don't you understand? After the way they screwed Bill Simon they'd have had no trouble deeming any conservative "unelectable."

And conservatives were the people who pushed the recall, and would not listen to people like myself who said it was not a good idea. There is zero way conservatives can get out from under responsibility for the recall. All we have to do is go back in FR archives and the proof will stare folks right in the face.

Your case is totally immaterial. After the way Wilson and Rove destroyed the GOP grass roots structure there would have been no means for the primary process to repeat the 2002 defeat of Dick Riordan in 2004. Arnold would have been nominated anyway, as they were planning to do.

Unfortunately, from where we are now, we have to start over by rebuilding the Party infrastructure from scratch. That means restructuring the leadership of virtually every local central committee.

84 posted on 04/13/2007 7:38:54 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The fourth estate is the fifth column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Wolfstar
So?

Pot...meet Kettle. Kettle, this is Pot.

85 posted on 04/13/2007 7:42:40 AM PDT by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: Carry_Okie

To everything you said, NUTS! With this exception: I agree the CAGOP needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.


86 posted on 04/13/2007 7:56:56 AM PDT by Wolfstar (When you whip the good guys into rage at the wrong enemy, don't be surprised when the bad guys win.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 84 | View Replies]

To: Oberon
Pot...meet Kettle. Kettle, this is Pot.

Not hardly. But, hey, knock yourself out.

87 posted on 04/13/2007 7:58:12 AM PDT by Wolfstar (When you whip the good guys into rage at the wrong enemy, don't be surprised when the bad guys win.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
All this ponzi scheme will accomplish is create a shortage of doctors and hospitals because the insurance carrier will pay them two cents on the dollar for their services.

It’s just another way to tax the businesses by forcing them to pay higher wages to entry level employees who are already paying workman's comp on them from day one...

88 posted on 04/13/2007 8:02:59 AM PDT by tubebender (Worry gives small problems big shadows)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Wolfstar
To everything you said, NUTS!

To you, ignorance must be bliss.

89 posted on 04/13/2007 8:59:25 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The fourth estate is the fifth column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: Carry_Okie
To me, ignorance is failing to acknowledge one's mistakes and repeating them over and over again. This is what those who like to self-identify as "real" conservatives do. In fact, it's worse than failing to acknowledge mistakes, it's failing to even recognize them as one's own. So easy to blame some vague conspiracy by "rinos," Rove, Wilson, whoever, rather than seeing the flaws one's own actions and attitudes.

Until self-professed real conservatives learn to operate in the real world, where winning means forsaking the notion that only those who agree in total lock-step are welcome, the Left wil never again be defeated in California.

90 posted on 04/13/2007 9:40:22 AM PDT by Wolfstar (When you whip the good guys into rage at the wrong enemy, don't be surprised when the bad guys win.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]

To: massgopguy
Can anyone address the Constitutionality of coercing people to enter into a contract against their will?

Sure, it's the paragraph after the section that describes the right to terminate your unborn. (It's in bold Olde English font, you can't miss it).

91 posted on 04/13/2007 9:42:07 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Ben Franklin, we tried but we couldn't keep it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Wolfstar

True—Conservatives worked to get the petition signatures.

But from there, they did ZILCH to get the Austrian dictator elected. Credit for that can be given to the whining, sniveling teary-eyed Issa, the I-love-liberals David Dreier, the We-Love-Arnold-the-Celebrity Duf Sundheim, and all of the other so-called “pragmatic” Republicans who day-in and day-out did everything in their power to criticize Conservatives and McClintock while ignoring the obvious liberal leanings of the Austrian.

Had this not happened during the Recall election, I believe it would have happened in the 2006 primary—folks like you, David Dreier, Sean Hannity, etc. promoting the Austrian as “a conservative” while ignoring things like his outrageous LEFTIST environmental platform.

As I said earlier, the Recall was a disaster because of the CA GOP leadership’s efforts (aided and abetted by Rove and the RNC—thanks for nuttin’ Bob White and George Gorton!) to foist a liberal on the Republican party (and their ever-increasing efforts to defeat all things conservative).


92 posted on 04/13/2007 11:35:31 AM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 90 | View Replies]

To: Wolfstar
You are obviously "chest pounding" and "grandstanding" based on baseless history revisionism and sophistry!

I repeat... Give it up!! It should be embarrassing to you, but it's obviously not!!!

93 posted on 04/13/2007 12:28:39 PM PDT by SierraWasp (CA is pleagued with a GANG-GREENOUS REPELLICAN GOVERNOR!!! He's worsened the Gray Davis' MESS!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: Carry_Okie
Derivitive authority is an intreguing(sp?) concept! Teddy Roosevelt derived his authority to establish the Food & Drug Administration and a whole bunch of other beligerent bureaucracies that penetrate deep into every aspect of our every-day lives today, from the simple assertion that if the US constitution didn't specifically forbid it, the Executive could "make it so!"

FDR advanced that to the absurd, creating the USSA of today!!!

At this very moment I'm investing in "derivatives" on the Chicago Board of Exchange for fun and profit (hopefully). They (stock option derivitives) can be fleeting things, where "derivitive authority" is seemingly never ending when instituted by DemonicrTICKs and Repellicans, alike!!!

94 posted on 04/13/2007 12:39:29 PM PDT by SierraWasp (CA is pleagued with a GANG-GREENOUS REPELLICAN GOVERNOR!!! He's worsened the Gray Davis' MESS!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: GeorgefromGeorgia
Many times an illegal will hit and run to avoid apprehension

I believe that in Texas a hit and run with injuries is a felony and as such, deadly force is authorized in their apprehension.

95 posted on 04/13/2007 1:00:40 PM PDT by Centurion2000 (Killing all of your enemies without mercy is the only sure way of sleeping soundly at night.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: SierraWasp

You don’t get to tell me what’s embarrassing or not. You don’t get to tell m what to give up. You get to express your opinions and I get to express mine. Funny how it works, huh.


96 posted on 04/13/2007 1:06:56 PM PDT by Wolfstar (When you whip the good guys into rage at the wrong enemy, don't be surprised when the bad guys win.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 93 | View Replies]

To: Wolfstar

Hey! There’s no doubt about it!! You’ve been told!!!


97 posted on 04/13/2007 2:20:53 PM PDT by SierraWasp (CA is pleagued with a GANG-GREENOUS REPELLICAN GOVERNOR!!! He's worsened the Gray Davis' MESS!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 96 | View Replies]

To: SierraWasp

Sugah plum, in da vernacular o’da streets, you done told nobody nothin’. You jus made a [blank] outta youself. Enjoy!


98 posted on 04/13/2007 4:21:37 PM PDT by Wolfstar (When you whip the good guys into rage at the wrong enemy, don't be surprised when the bad guys win.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 97 | View Replies]

To: GeorgefromGeorgia
Illegal aliens are a big problem in CA, for sure. But there is another issue that makes me somewhat in favor of forcing people to buy health insurance: able-bodied people who will pay $150 a month for their cable/internet bill, but won’t pay a dime for health insurance. A 25 year old in CA can purchase excellent medical and dental insurance for about $125 from a Blue Cross of CA agent. But they don’t! I have friends who buy new stereo systems for their cars and new flat screen TVs, but won’t pay even $100 a month for insurance. Even after I give them all the info! When these twentysomethings get sick, they go to the emergency room just like illegals. I would say that people shouldn't’t be forced to buy health insurance...except that taxpayers like me end up picking up their medical bills.
99 posted on 04/13/2007 4:31:09 PM PDT by utahagen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Realism

I know that’s true in many states, but the rates are fairly reasonable in California. A few years ago, when I was in my early thirties, I paid for my own medical and dental insurance and it cost about $125 a month. I think individuals should be willing to pay at least as much for health insurance as they do for cable TV.


100 posted on 04/13/2007 4:33:50 PM PDT by utahagen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-117 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson