Obamacare - Premiums up $2,900.00.

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Okay, explain to me WHY with Odumbocare no one needs to be responsible for their choices? Why does a slob who is 5'8" and weighs 350 getting the same rates as someone 6'2", 175, who if fit?

Why is it that every other form of insurance penalizes you for bad choices?

Let's take an example. Two years ago I was in a line of 4 cars approaching a 4 way stop in a residential neighborhood. We inched forward one car at a time. No one was at any of the other 3 stop signs. As I moved to the stop sign, hit my brakes and felt I came to a full stop out of the bushes comes a cop car. Long story short ... I get a ticket for $135 and "careless operation". Fast forward to my wife and I deciding to get another quote on car insurance. Apparently my "careless operation" slipped by the first pass and we got a great quote. Then they write back and raise my quote 40% for this issue. Bottom line it was a trivial violation yet resulted in a large increase in rates.

Now we look at health insurance. People can eat anything they desire. They can choose to be a couch potato. They can be as fat as they want. They can drink, do drugs and otherwise abuse their body. And in the end ... they do NOT pay any penalty for their poor choices and the end result is they have massively higher health care costs (that they do NOT pay for since healthy people are forced to help subsidize their premiums and they likely also get subsidies on these premiums). So those who CHOOSE to live a healthy lifestyle are actually the ones who get penalized financially. If you can't see how unfair and distorted that is I'm at a loss.

I'd rather we revert back to insurance companies being able to turn away those who make poor choices (and not those with real issues they can't prevent like cancer, etc.). And you might say who would treat the slobs who make bad choices? No one as far as I'm concerned. Because if they don't care about their own health and well being why should others, like doctors? So the rest of us would not be saddled with excessive underwriting costs, inflating our premiums and if these slobs want health care then they pay directly to doctors or clinics.

Let me guess you're 6'2" & 175# is that right ? And let me guess again you're a Christian right ?

 

[DHOHHI]

Let me guess you're 6'2" & 175# is that right ? And let me guess again you're a Christian right ?

Actually I'm 6'2", 173, 2 pounds heavier than when I got my undergraduate degree in the 70's. And I was raised Catholic.

I was also raised to take responsibility for myself in life. That means I studied as a kid, got decent (not great) grades. Went to college. Got my undergrad. And unfortunately I got 2 MS degrees (that I just love to brag about, huh Richter?). And I then worked hard throughout my career until I decided to throw it away to trade in 1996. Thus, why I get up in arms about health care .. 18 years of paying for myself.

And others need to be responsible for themselves.

I noted you didn't respond to the WHY's I asked about? As in WHY healthcare is unlike any other form of insurance? And WHY the healthy people are being financially penalized? And WHY the slobs are being rewarded financially?

 

[bigarrow]

Actually I'm 6'2", 173, 2 pounds heavier than when I got my undergraduate degree in the 70's. And I was raised Catholic.

I was also raised to take responsibility for myself in life. That means I studied as a kid, got decent (not great) grades. Went to college. Got my undergrad. And unfortunately I got 2 MS degrees (that I just love to brag about, huh Richter?). And I then worked hard throughout my career until I decided to throw it away to trade in 1996. Thus, why I get up in arms about health care .. 18 years of paying for myself.

And others need to be responsible for themselves.

I noted you didn't respond to the WHY's I asked about? As in WHY healthcare is unlike any other form of insurance? And WHY the healthy people are being financially penalized? And WHY the slobs are being rewarded financially?

I thought we were in agreement on a way for the unhealthy eaters to pay their fair share with a tax on crap food. Health care is unlike other insurance because people's lives and financial lives are at stake and bad things don't just happen to those who deserve it. I know you can see the difference. Surely you're not one who would want a society where we leave dying people in the street. This isn't about what's best for you DH it's about what's best for our citizens. There is no perfect solution, period. Except of course the one where you come out ahead, right.

 

[DHOHHI]

I thought we were in agreement on a way for the unhealthy eaters to pay their fair share with a tax on crap food. Health care is unlike other insurance because people's lives and financial lives are at stake and bad things don't just happen to those who deserve it. I know you can see the difference. Surely you're not one who would want a society where we leave dying people in the street. This isn't about what's best for you DH it's about what's best for our citizens. There is no perfect solution, period. Except of course the one where you come out ahead, right.

You're avoiding the bigger issue .. until there's a $$$$$$$ penalty for bad choices people won't change ... they have no incentive to. I see the parents on Medicaid at the school I volunteer at .... those that are obese stay that way. Why change? They have Medicaid. No penalty .... Until people feel some pain (financially) they continue along their current path.

 

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You're avoiding the bigger issue .. until there's a $$$$$$$ penalty for bad choices people won't change ... they have no incentive to. I see the parents on Medicaid at the school I volunteer at .... those that are obese stay that way. Why change? They have Medicaid. No penalty .... Until people feel some pain (financially) they continue along their current path.

Why do you feel the need to punish people? Isn't it enough that if they paid for their bad choices enough to cover the medical costs they'd be paying their way. A health tax at the time of purchase would take care of many of the issues you and I have with the program. Things aren't going back to the way they were DH. Even the reps won't repeal the ACA unless they have a plan to insure the uninsurable. You're cause is screwed so might as well accept it and talk about something that might change.

 

[fhl]

I predict it won't be many years until they'll start calling gun ownership a risk factor that necessitates the insured paying higher premiums for.
It will not be hard at all to find some universities to phony up some studies showing how that is a legit risk factor. And every science prof in the university will have to sign onto it if he wants to maintain his job. Like the global warming scam.