I have never been big on health insurance; I have never viewed it as a necessity (for myself). Perhaps that is because I am a healthy, single, childress 26 year old white male with a rather high income potential. So even when I worked for companies who provided insurance I never gave much care. However, dental insurance is another thing. I have at least 3 teeth which will require some work in the near future (2 years). One of which I will have work on later this month. To me that is a neccessity for my health and so I don't understand why dental does not equal health in my case. All in all, health insurance sounds like a sketchy-loan. You pay the principle and interest for a loan which could be denied because "your plan doesn't cover that". So why not take out loans whenever doctor's visits, testing and surgery is required. Would seem to make more since than paying hundreds of dollars a month given that you may not need it?
A routine surgery could cost tens of thousands of dollars. How do you expect folks to get a loan for (for example) $50,000? Also, there is no guarantee, that after that $50,000 surgery, you don't break a leg and need another surgery a few months down the road. Insurance is insurance. You hate paying for it when it goes unused, but are generally pretty happy when you need it and have it.
That works great for the 90% of people who pay more than they get. It sucks for the 10% that get cancer or have heart surgery or are in a major accident or whatever. Insurance is what it is - you pay a fee to reduce your potential worst-case-scenario risk.
THANK YOU. It seems such a belief no matter your religious or political view is something too sensitive to talk about. I don't know 3 people who think this should be a readily available option. Dying painlessly > waking up everyday hurting and having someone help you go to the bathroom. No one at any point should tell me I have to live.
I guess I'm a little radical on this point, but I don't think there should be a test for this, I don't believe one should need be old or infirm or undergo any kind of evaluation. I believe the right to self-determination in the matter of one's own death should be absolute. There is a pill that makes suicide easy and painless but it is strictly illegal and very difficult to get. I believe it should be available over the counter, no questions asked. In fact, I believe it should be free of charge.
No restrictions at all? For starters, it seems like a great murder weapon - it's pretty easy to sneak a pill into someone's food. But beyond that, should 10 yr olds be able to buy it? 15 yr old girl who just got dumped and is an emotional wreck for the day? Mentally ill person? The number of people who contemplate suicide and regret it is pretty extensive - it seems that this is just a good way to kill off people who really didn't want to die but had a moment of weakness/depression/etc.
Hmmm, so you are trying to imply that 90% can pay health insurance, even though it seems insanely high? Though there are 10% who can't afford it? I think you have it the other way around: 90% can't afford health insurance while 10% can. I am sure some of the 90% get help from their employers to have health insurance. So what happens if you can't afford health insurance and something goes wrong? SOL?
If I didn't have health insurance through work, it's a great plan, I wouldn't have insurance at all. It is too damn expensive.
No sorry - I'm implying that about 90% of people are going to lose money by getting insurance vs just self-insuring and paying for everything themselves. But you're paying to protect yourself in case you end up in the other 10%.
I might support an age restriction, just as I guess we have now for any other pill, though I'm not totally comfortable supporting even that. Otherwise, yes, no restrictions. I'm sure you didn't mean it this way, but its unsettling to see weakness listed next to depression. I think suicide is a valid option for anyone who decides for whatever reason they'd rather not live anymore. No one asks to live and no one should be prevented from saying, "No, thank you. I don't care for living and I'd like to stop now." I don't think of it as an act of weakness. And, though I'm certain you didn't mean to insinuate otherwise, I certainly don't in any way associate weakness with depression.
This year, at 42, health problems reared their ugly head on me. I'm insured at work, but it's a joke, and I am out a lot of money. You don't care now, as I didn't then, but anything can happen at anytime.
