If our country is so broke - why pass universal health care?

[Mad Max]

Our government can't run one successful social benefit program, why take on such a big one?

[Adam B]

Medicare is cheaper than private for-profit health care. Universal health insurance coverage is a net money SAVER over the long term. We can't afford not to have it - health care costs eat more of our economy than they do in any country on earth. So really, who's not paying attention? You're not.

[Buying is Voting]

Well first of all, government programs are not created in order to be "successful" in the capitalist sense of "successful," and that's what a lot of socialist-leaning people like about the idea.

But signing ourselves up for an expansion of unfunded liabilities on top of what we already have in that department seems really risky with our future, I agree. It leads me to question whether I'll have any chance whatsoever of retiring in 30 years. I start to doubt it more and more.

The real myth with healthcare, it seems, is that the government is positioning itself AGAINST the private industry. Nothing is farther from the truth. Obama has been depending on health insurance lobbyists and CEOs to develop this new legislation. An expansion of government health care makes it easier for private industry to stay in business. They're currently stuck in a death spiral, in which their costs rise, more people drop out, and the costs rise more, and then more people drop out. They are facing extinction if government doesn't come and, essentially, BAIL THEM OUT.

If the government takes care of the people who tax the private system most heavily, the insurance industry will have the liberty to drop whoever the want and avoid more lawsuits because, hey, there's ALWAYS government health care, right? This is a health insurance industry dream bill.

[JC]

Simple. It's OUR government and that's how they run!

[Meghan]

We shouldn't. Especially considering that our government can't even get a swine flu vaccine out to the public. I would rather pay for it and have it now, then get for free in 2 months.

[Elite]

When you have companies like Aetna shedding 600,000 customers because it hurts their profits, it stands to reason that insurance companies aren't there to help you. If you get sick, you're screwed.

Try obtaining coverage for a family of 4 on your own. Payments are at least $1200 a month, and that's for disaster coverage for a healthy family.

No one wants free health care, people want to be able to access affordable insurance. Cancer and diabetes shouldn't be a death sentence just so that someone can rake in record profits.

[Ag M]

Because the far-left politicians have convinced their base that this needs to be done and, even though they know it's a terrible idea at this time (and many know it's a terrible idea - period), they've no choice if they wish their base to turn out the next time they're up for re-election.

elite: studies from the left, right & center show that policies in the individual market are going to go up, up, up if ObamaCare passes. There IS no such thing as a free lunch.

[P]

Because the government seems to think that by passing this health care bill, they will lower the deficit. And they will, since taxes will be so much larger than what they are now. I firmly believe that if instead of increasing taxes, the gov't cut taxes way back, and inacted tort reform that this ecomony would pick up and the health care disaster would be fixed, and then maybe the debt could begin to get payed off. The US right now has no desire to pay off debt. It is like a person with huge credit card debt. As long as they can pay the interest, they'll keep borrowing. But eventually we can only pay for interest and nothing else then what do think will happen?