Posts
Regarding Health Care, Pending Bills and Reality.
I think people miss an important distinction here.
The government isn't taking your money and giving you -anything-.
They are requiring you to buy something from a third party or face penalty.
Using water as an example as above, despite the fact that it is the one thing you absolutely need, there is no law that says "you will buy water".
Yes there are sewer taxes (which cover most of the costs of sewer related things), but you pay an authorized company for water delivery only if you own the home in most cases. Renters often don't pay a separate water charge. You can also buy water from countless bottle water suppliers. But if I don't, I'm not fined nor am I facing threat of jail time.
Now, next to water, I require food. Yet, there are no laws that I am aware of that require me to pitch in $5 a week to fed the hungry. No requirement I am aware of that automates a deduction from my income specifically for the purpose of feeding the million+ hungry in the US. Yes, there are government services that do provide that service, however the money is budgeted from government income as they wish. I pay no "food for hungry tax".
After water and food comes shelter.
Again, no "shelter tax", no requirement I provide myself or anyone with shelter. I can choose to live in a tent in a field on public property if I so choose and in most cases will be allowed to do so. No requirement nor seperate tax/fee assessed at pay time that goes specifically towards any homeless shelters. Those are covered as is food and water through generic income/property taxes and other fees in a general pool.
Water, food, shelter. What's next on the "Needs list"
Sleep.
Sex.
Again, neither are covered by any taxes, fees, etc, nor provided directly by the government. We're kinda left up to those on our own.
Ah, Travel! All those roads.
No specific tax/deduction nor any requirement to pay for or face fine/jail.
Toll roads are covered by tolls. I can not drive them and avoid the fee.
Public roads are covered by various general funds at various levels.
Highways are a national security level importance due to their intended uses of troop transport and air strip use in emergency. Yet despite their importance, again, no "road tax".
The fact that Dr. X charges $120 for an office visit is irrelevant. Go see Dr. Y who only charges $25 a visit. Shop around if you don't like the prices. Right now, you can do that. Under alot of these systems people are pointing at as superior, you get the doctor assigned to you, no choice to choose differently.
Now, you also have to realize that there is no Health Care in this Health Care Bill. What it is is an Insurance Mandate forcing you to buy a service. Since you are required to buy it, there is no incentive to lower the costs, so they will go up, you will be gouged, and the only people who benefit are the insurance companies.
If they were serious about fixing the health care problem, they would be addressing the -2- issues people keep bringing up yet are ignored by the bill pending.
-1 costs
-2 access
We need our costs lowered, waste reduced, overcharges reduced and high drug costs addresses.
We need more doctors, nurses, specialists, hospitals and clinics.
This bill provides for none of that.
It's not a case of "it's better than nothing".
It's a case of it's nothing and they can do better!
The government isn't taking your money and giving you -anything-.
They are requiring you to buy something from a third party or face penalty.
Using water as an example as above, despite the fact that it is the one thing you absolutely need, there is no law that says "you will buy water".
Yes there are sewer taxes (which cover most of the costs of sewer related things), but you pay an authorized company for water delivery only if you own the home in most cases. Renters often don't pay a separate water charge. You can also buy water from countless bottle water suppliers. But if I don't, I'm not fined nor am I facing threat of jail time.
Now, next to water, I require food. Yet, there are no laws that I am aware of that require me to pitch in $5 a week to fed the hungry. No requirement I am aware of that automates a deduction from my income specifically for the purpose of feeding the million+ hungry in the US. Yes, there are government services that do provide that service, however the money is budgeted from government income as they wish. I pay no "food for hungry tax".
After water and food comes shelter.
Again, no "shelter tax", no requirement I provide myself or anyone with shelter. I can choose to live in a tent in a field on public property if I so choose and in most cases will be allowed to do so. No requirement nor seperate tax/fee assessed at pay time that goes specifically towards any homeless shelters. Those are covered as is food and water through generic income/property taxes and other fees in a general pool.
Water, food, shelter. What's next on the "Needs list"
Sleep.
Sex.
Again, neither are covered by any taxes, fees, etc, nor provided directly by the government. We're kinda left up to those on our own.
Ah, Travel! All those roads.
No specific tax/deduction nor any requirement to pay for or face fine/jail.
Toll roads are covered by tolls. I can not drive them and avoid the fee.
Public roads are covered by various general funds at various levels.
Highways are a national security level importance due to their intended uses of troop transport and air strip use in emergency. Yet despite their importance, again, no "road tax".
The fact that Dr. X charges $120 for an office visit is irrelevant. Go see Dr. Y who only charges $25 a visit. Shop around if you don't like the prices. Right now, you can do that. Under alot of these systems people are pointing at as superior, you get the doctor assigned to you, no choice to choose differently.
Now, you also have to realize that there is no Health Care in this Health Care Bill. What it is is an Insurance Mandate forcing you to buy a service. Since you are required to buy it, there is no incentive to lower the costs, so they will go up, you will be gouged, and the only people who benefit are the insurance companies.
If they were serious about fixing the health care problem, they would be addressing the -2- issues people keep bringing up yet are ignored by the bill pending.
-1 costs
-2 access
We need our costs lowered, waste reduced, overcharges reduced and high drug costs addresses.
We need more doctors, nurses, specialists, hospitals and clinics.
This bill provides for none of that.
It's not a case of "it's better than nothing".
It's a case of it's nothing and they can do better!
