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For Obamacare to Work, Everyone Must Be In
NY Times ^ | Aug 3, 2013 | By ROBERT H. FRANK

Posted on 08/03/2013 1:43:23 PM PDT by Jim Robinson

TWO beliefs continue to shape debate on Obamacare. First, pre-existing medical conditions shouldn’t prevent people from obtaining affordable health insurance. And second, people who don’t want health insurance shouldn’t be forced by the government to purchase it.

These may seem to be reasonable positions. But they are incompatible. That’s been shown by historical events, and it’s now being strikingly confirmed by recent experience in the emerging Obamacare insurance exchanges.

The crux of the matter is what economists call the adverse-selection problem. Uninsured people with pre-existing conditions often face tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical costs annually. If insurers charged everyone the same rate, buying coverage would be far more attractive financially for people with chronic illnesses than for healthy people. And as healthy policyholders began dropping out of the insured pool, it would become increasingly composed of sick people, forcing insurers to raise their rates.

But higher rates make insurance even less attractive for healthy people, causing even more of them to drop out. Before long, coverage would become too expensive for almost everyone.

The adverse-selection problem explains why almost no countries leave health care provision to unregulated private insurance markets. It also predicts that requiring private insurance companies to charge the same rates to everyone will make it prohibitively expensive for most people to buy individual health insurance.

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abortion; communism; deathpanels; dictator; fascism; marxism; obama; obamacare; socialism; tyranny; unamerican; unconstitutional; zerocare
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There's another belief, and that's the belief of our Founding Fathers and all American patriots. ObamaCare is unconstitutional and unAmerican. Obviously and for good reason, the constitution does not authorize the federal government to be in the health care business or the insurance business. Yeah, all Americans would have to be FORCED to be included in such a program because no sane person would voluntarily enter into a self-defeating contract. If allowed to stand, ObamaCare will destroy both the free economy and the healthcare system. Communism never works. If you think it's hard getting health care while being poor (only one car, one TV, one ObamaPhone) in a free country where at least the emergency rooms don't turn you away, just wait until you're dirt poor in a communist country. Good luck in any illness, much less an emergency.

Central planners be damned! America should remain a free country and health care should remain as a free enterprise market-driven system. We already have the best health care system in the entire world!

1 posted on 08/03/2013 1:43:23 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: Jim Robinson

Similar to a pyramid scheme.


2 posted on 08/03/2013 1:46:08 PM PDT by Huskrrrr
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To: onyx; trisham; TheOldLady; DJ MacWoW; RedMDer; musicman; Lady Jag; Alamo-Girl; bd476; The Cajun; ...
"For Obamacare to Work, Everyone Must Be In"

NSS!! And even if the government could force everyone onto its communist plan, it still wouldn't work!! Idiots!!

3 posted on 08/03/2013 1:46:27 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson

In reality, Obamacare will NEVER work
any more than welfare has EVER worked.

Unless you weight it with the accomplishment
of some social agenda, then it works perfectly.


4 posted on 08/03/2013 1:47:08 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: Jim Robinson; All
" For Obamacare to Work,
Everyone Must Be In"




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5 posted on 08/03/2013 1:47:30 PM PDT by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: Jim Robinson
Here's the problem. The government shouldn't be in the health care/insurance business.

They just took over the student loan business. How'd that work out for the kids?

6 posted on 08/03/2013 1:47:57 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Jim Robinson
Everyone Must Be In[!!!]...

And that means EVERYONE. Except of course, the IRS, congresscritters, their staff, etc, etc... and etc.

7 posted on 08/03/2013 1:48:02 PM PDT by C210N (When people fear government there is tyranny; when government fears people there is liberty)
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To: Jim Robinson

AND, EVERY STINKING MEMBER OF CONGRESS AND THE FED GOV WHO IS EXEMPT HAS TO TAKE IT AND NOT HAVE THEIR SPECIAL PROGRAMS!!! Yes, I am screaming, from the roof top!!!!


8 posted on 08/03/2013 1:49:14 PM PDT by RetiredArmy ("As in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of Man." The LORD said it would be like this.)
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To: Jim Robinson

Damn them to Hell. It is just SO un-American to even contemplate forcing everybody “in”! It just burns me up the government is attempting to create “exchanges” (pseudo-markets) with tens of billions of dollars when good old free markets do the same thing at no cost — they are self-arranging and operate at optimal efficiency.


9 posted on 08/03/2013 1:51:47 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Jim Robinson
"For Obamacare to Work, Everyone Must Be In"

Count me out.

Can't afford it, don't want it..

Disagree with the whole concept.


10 posted on 08/03/2013 1:52:52 PM PDT by humblegunner
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To: Jim Robinson
except congress,government workers, and the unions that is... right???

11 posted on 08/03/2013 1:53:33 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Jim Robinson

The way they have been hauling the hay surely they are getting close to that final straw.


12 posted on 08/03/2013 1:55:16 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INFIDEL)
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To: Jim Robinson; FReepers; Patriots; FRiends; RedMDer; musicman; The Cajun; TheOldLady; ...






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13 posted on 08/03/2013 1:55:59 PM PDT by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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14 posted on 08/03/2013 1:57:15 PM PDT by RedMDer (http://www.dontfundobamacare.com/)
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To: onyx

Oops. :)


15 posted on 08/03/2013 1:58:16 PM PDT by RedMDer (http://www.dontfundobamacare.com/)
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To: Jim Robinson
I am not happy with the use of tax dollars which already make me an accessory to murder--every dime to planned parenthood frees up money to kill another baby.

I'm never going to sign up for a program which seeks to force me to go against my religious beliefs against abortion and "contraception" (which includes post conception abortifactants).

16 posted on 08/03/2013 1:58:36 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing)
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To: Jim Robinson

In other words, for it to work, we must force others to pay for it at the point of a gun.


17 posted on 08/03/2013 2:00:59 PM PDT by Hoodat (BENGHAZI - 4 KILLED, 2 MIA)
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To: Jim Robinson

Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore

By ROBERT H. FRANK
Published: October 16, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/business/17view.html

The middle-class squeeze has also reduced voters’ willingness to support even basic public services. Rich and poor alike endure crumbling roads, weak bridges, an unreliable rail system, and cargo containers that enter our ports without scrutiny. And many Americans live in the shadow of poorly maintained dams that could collapse at any moment.

ECONOMISTS who say we should relegate questions about inequality to philosophers often advocate policies, like tax cuts for the wealthy, that increase inequality substantially. That greater inequality causes real harm is beyond doubt.

No one dares to argue that rising inequality is required in the name of fairness. So maybe we should just agree that it’s a bad thing — and try to do something about it.


18 posted on 08/03/2013 2:01:27 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: onyx; trisham; TheOldLady; DJ MacWoW; RedMDer; musicman; Lady Jag; Alamo-Girl; bd476; The Cajun; ...

Any Republican congresscritter who fails to do his utmost to defund/derail communist ObamaCare is a traitor who should be tarred and feathered and run outta Dodge on a rail!!


19 posted on 08/03/2013 2:03:04 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson

It already doesn’t work for me. I’m healthy and the cost of my health insurance options is going through the roof. I’m going to end up having to pay way more than I had been paying for good coverage, just to get what in effect is catastrophic coverage.


20 posted on 08/03/2013 2:03:19 PM PDT by 9YearLurker
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