Is forced health care insurance right?

And what is the government going to do about the people who cannot get insurance because of existing medical conditions? Or can't afford to pay 2/3 of their income to insurance because of that? It's stupid to mandate something that isn't possible to implement.

Germany has that and it's not pretty. In essence it is universal healthcare. The insurance companies indeed will be the winners. Those who right now pay low rates here will be hit with higher rates because they have to cover the costs for those who can't get insurance right now but will have to be insured somehow. You will end up paying a certain percentage of your income. Who will win? The insurance companies and providers. Well, and also those who right now can't get insurance due to their medical conditions. Those who can't afford insurance right now will have to find the money somehow.

I do not know if it should be forced but I do think everyone should have it. Making it affordable would be a great help but your right in saying they want their money and they'll get it anyway they can. We need more Granny's around to give us concotions that knock us off our feet but work. I have a feeling more people will watch their health etc and use vitamins etc to help with their health troubles now then dealing with insurance.

I think what many people will end up with under these circumstances is very limited coverage that doesn't include major medical. One of my daughter's was just hired by Walmart and she was showing me their insurance options in her New Employee packet. There is one that costs very little, doesn't cover much more than doctor visits and has a yearly limitation on how much it will pay out. This coverage isn't entirely worthless but it's about as close as you can get. I definitely don't support forcing people to pay an expense they may not necessarily be able to afford.

If they make it where by law we have to have health insurance what would it be if you didn't.. I mean the punishment..lol jail time because we couldn't afford it.. that would definetly fill the jails up real quick..lol

They can make me have it as soon as they are willing to pay for it. My husband has worked one week every month this year and cannot find a different job, he has been looking. I work part time and am a full time student, we do not have extra cash to pay for anything much less another bill and yet we do not qualify for the government insurance because we do not have kids. So not forced health care is not the answer at all. Next year I will have insurance because I will be teaching, until then we will just not get sick.

No, the government doesn't have a right to force us to do anything. ...most of us can't afford health insurance to begin with, therefore why alot were clamoring for universal healthcare. As per usual, the government says "okiedokie" and if they're gonna force us to pay for something we could afford anyway (and then meddle, probably favorably, with insurance companies)...they make things worse. Heavyhanded, as usual. I expected this, though. I've agreed we need better care in this country, I've agreed the insurance companies are the devil...but I've worried that this would be what the government would do. Considering recent events, the unwillingness to do the right thing and bring accountability to the government for its actions, stuff like that...this doesn't seem all that out of the ordinary, sadly enough.

Since there isn't even a bill written yet I don't know why the lobbyists are already trying to scare people about something that doesn't yet exist. You ARE right that it's the insurance companies who are against universal health care because they want no limitations on their profits and nobody telling them they have to cover everyone regardless of preexisting conditions. As for your title question, "Is forced health care insurance right?" I think that depends on where you're coming from. If you already have insurance and especially if you currently pay all or part of your own premiums you'd probably be glad to have more people in the "pool" which should bring premiums and co-pays/deductibles down. If you don't have insurance but would get it if were more affordable and you were told that "forcing" everyone to get it would make it so, you'd probably also think it was the right thing to do. I suppose some very young and very healthy people may say it wouldn't be right, that if they choose to gamble and not have insurance they should have that right. The problem with that is we'd still be in the same boat we're in now. Those who didn't feel they should be forced to buy insurance - assuming costs are brought down and it is affordable for everyone - will no doubt get sick or injured one day and in the United States of America we don't turn people away when they're in need of emergency medical treatment. I really doubt that anyone has the stomach for starting to do that now. Therefore we'd end up with people still going without insurance and going to the ER where the costs are much higher even for minor illnesses and still not being able to afford to pay. Would that be fair to those who DO have insurance and/or pay their own medical costs? What is the answer - should we simply let it be completely optional and let some people take advantage because they know they'll still be treated if need be? Should we make people who choose not to get insurance aware that if they do get sick or hurt they're on their own and if they can't pay up front they won't be treated? I think we both know that's not going to happen. I think there's got to be a way to cover everyone at an affordable cost without making anyone lose the quality of the care they receive. I honestly believe it could be made so that the vast majority of Americans will actually break even or spend less money on health care overall. Personally I don't care if I pay "X" number of dollars out of my after tax dollars or if it's taken out in the form of taxes for my health care. Annie

No it should not be forced, NO insurance should be forced, UNLESS IT IS AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYBODY and people can get it almost free if they MUST have it. Think about it. People get in big trouble for not having auto insurance - but you can also get auto insurance for like $19 a month. If someone could get health insurance for $19, I think they would. You must have a carseat for your baby or risk a huge ticket - but there are programs where parents on low/no incomes can go to a class and receive a free carseat. If something is made mandatory like that, there needs to be an overhaul. Not only should EVERYBODY be able to take advantage of low-cost or free insurance, there needs to be a better way for doctors to make ins companies pay for treatments, visits, or preventive/after care that THEY deem necessary for a patient. No ins company can ever say they're broke. They bring in so much money from premiums it is ridiculous. Just by a little careful listening to HR, I found out that EMPLOYERS can pay up to $800 a month for one family's coverage, while the employee getting the ins benefit might pay $32 a paycheck, which for me was $64 a month! So the employer pays the ins co $800 and I pay $64 bringing the total of JUST ONE PERSON'S monthly premium they collect to $864. I don't get sick often and I rarely go to the doctor. That is a lot of money they get to collect for me for nothing. When i go, I pay like $15 or $20 to be seen. My prescriptions are the lesser of what it costs or $10, and since Walmart and CVS and others now have $4 prescriptions, usually the prescriptions are $4. Hmmm. $864 a month. That's a lot of money for an ins co to take in when I might visit the doctor in an average year oh.... 2 or 3 times? Total? And spend oh.... $40 for copays and maybe $8-15 for prescriptions? Those liars are swimming in money.... and if something happened to me that would require they spend a few thousand? You can bet they'd try to fight it as long as possible, even though they collected more than a few thousand from me and my employer over the last 3 or 4 months! I do not feel the government should tell anybody anything. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING FOR US! FOR US!!! They don't get to tell US what to do. We should be telling THEM! I am telling them to BUTT OUT! Mind your own business! I didn't vote for the majority of the politicians in office. I don't give a rat's a$$ what they care about or what THEY want. It is not what I want! And they work for ME! So here is what I think of what they do. Bunch of BS!!! We don't even HAVE any money. The government and this country is BROKE. BROKE BROKE BROKE. Since we don't have any money, we should not be spending any money. The government shouldn't anyway. If they stopped spending money they didn't have, this economy crisis would be over before we could blink. But no... they just have to keep on taking money from us that isn't even theirs to take, to waste on crap we don't even want... remember I mentioned this money doesn't even exist either! No wonder things are falling apart and only getting worse.

Health programs initiated through government should be affordable and you are right on that. The problem of high cost roots to who are the key players in the policy and what are the processes involved, who are qualified and what are the terms. Health care should be free or it is expected to be a right especially for tax payers... no need to create another system in which people will have to pay again. That's almost the same case in my country wherein health is not literally free, most of the population do not have insurance despite the presence of government initiated health insurance system. One issue is not just affordability but accessibility to health care needs and as I am studying the terms... some of those included in the insurance policy are not enough for an average citizen and has little help for example in disability claims and hospitalizations. In my opinion, health insurance should be an automatic benefit, enjoyed by tax payers and third parties nor the government should not capitalize on this because it is part of a government social services that is supposed to be for the people.

It isn't right to force everyone to pay. But it also isn't right for people to show up at hospitals with no insurance and no money expecting people with insurance to foot the bill with higher costs. The more people paying into any health plan makes premiums cheaper. As far as insurance companies getting rich, nothing is going to stop that.