Disclaimer: This is not a political debate. This is a personal issue about whether or not Obamacare would help or hinder my household.
Many people think that others choose not to get medical insurance because they'd rather spend their money on luxuries instead. If I had the luxury of affording health insurance, don't you think I'd buy it? Especially after Mike had a heart attack while not on insurance and is now living on borrowed time? I've known enough people who've lived through and/or died of cancer to know that no one is immune to the possibility. I know that a tragedy could financially devastate a family. But life is a roll of the dice. And one must choose which thing to bet on. I admitted to buying life insurance. We also currently have dental insurance right now, which we couldn't afford for several years, and which, even though helps, does not cover half our dental expenses. When we first moved here, we had health insurance through NISD for Rex and myself at a cost of about $300/month (plus dental for another $50/mo). During the 4 months before we dropped it, we used it twice: once for Rex to get a physical so he could go camping with the boy scouts, and once when I had my annual ear infection, neither of which, combined, would have cost as much as one month's premium if paid for out of pocket. If you consider that my grocery budget was $400/mo, you might be able to see how $300/mo on insurance was a poor investment. Ever after, I would instead pay the Med Clinic $135 (once a year) for the authorized signature to get the antibiotics for my ear infection. And in some cases, such as a chiropractor, it costs less if you don't have insurance at all.
Obamacare is not free, to the taxpayer nor to the one receiving it. Our family may have risen out of poverty, but our standard of living did not. Our budget is equal to or below what it was before we lost government benefits. Those benefits kept us afloat when we needed it, as did help from family and friends. If we are no longer poor enough for foodstamps and Medicaid, why would I think we would qualify for "affordable" medical insurance? (Note: I refuse to call it "health care" because it's no more care for our health than No Child Left Behind is a boon to our children. It is government subsidizing insurance companies.)
I am not entirely against socialized medicine, but I AM against this hybrid version. I don't believe in forcing people to buy something they can't or won't use. There are lots of uninsured drivers out there -- why don't we fine everyone for that? I have no doubt the government could track them all down and force them to pay if they really wanted to. If a person has to have medical insurance, why stop there? Why not make them buy life insurance too, and dental, and vision, and renters? Credit cards offer unemployment insurance, identity theft insurance, etc. And you can make up more categories for insurance too, for anything and everything in life that could go wrong.
Before I buy anything, I want to know how much it's going to cost me? What do I need to cut in my budget to be able to afford this new expense? What will my premium be? What will my co-pay be? What does it cover? Would the fine be cheaper than the insurance? Will doctors be required to accept this new insurance or are they allowed to jump ship like Medicaid/Chip? But there are no answers to these questions. And I'm not even allowed to vote on whether or not I am required to buy it. Just tax me then and call it what it is.
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