That's what we favor. Get employers out of the health insurance business. Insure individuals face their own responsibilities.
Mitch Daniels is not a "RINO" here, he is saying that each of us must face the responsibility for our own healthcare. It does not necessarily have to be insurance plan, but YOU better be ready to pay for your own health care. If nothing else, let the "insurance" be the legal ability (of the provider) to garnish wages, access property, access accounts, etc. no different than say, paternity suits, or the failure to pay taxes (IRS), unpaid utility bills, etc. Personal responsibility IS what Conservatism is, is it not? If one wants freedom then one must accept the responsibilities, No?
Johnny Suntrade
“Mitch Daniels is not a “RINO” here, he is saying that each of us must face the responsibility for our own healthcare. It does not necessarily have to be insurance plan, but YOU better be ready to pay for your own health care.”
My friend, you have a statist approach to this issue.
The government creates this false dilemma. Government takes the position that no one should be denied health care. But some choose not to buy insurance because they are willing to take the risk that they’ll remain healthy and therefore don’t want to spend their money on a health insurance policy. The government says, but if you do get sick, you can go to an ER and be treated and the government (i.e., taxpayers) may have to pay. Well, I am not in favor of the taxpayers paying for ER visits for anyone who walks in (uninsureds, illegals, etc.) But Big Government dictates “We can’t have that.” The government dictates that the taxpayers must pay for those who do not insure themselves. This results in an expensive proposition. To counter this boondoggle government spending mandate, the government has to take away more freedom: everyone must be insured. Therefore, Big Brother is taking away your freedom to choose whether to buy insurance or not. You WILL buy it or face government force.
Of course, to extend this a little further, you have to admit that some people don’t take care of themselves. They have unhealthy lifestyles: couch potatoes, McDonalds meals all the time, smoking, obese, etc. That’s a burden on the rest of the group and runs up health costs for everyone. Therefore, government should become food police, restricting what you choose to eat and mandating a healthy lifestyle for you. Maybe there should be mandatory exercises for everyone a couple of times a week.
The bottom line for conservatives is returning the federal government to its constitutional limits—a very limited role in our lives. The federal leviathan has no constitutional right to require me to buy health insurance and should not be taxing me to pay for other people’s healthcare. The flip side of this conservative position is personal responsibility. I am responsible for my health. You have no obligation to pay for my unwise choices in life.