Health Insurance Revisited

There seems to be this idea that people without health insurance don't get (or can't afford) medical treatment. Simply put, if I think I will only need, say, $6000 worth of medical coverage for a given year (an estimate of the national per capita cost for doctors, hospitals, and meds), why should I buy a policy costing $6000 (or more likely, from a private insurer, more)? Why not just take that money and put it in the bank, so if, say, I need LESS than $6000 worth of medical treatment, I can pocket the difference. It's MY money, not the insurance company's.

What if I need more? Well, that's why you buy health insurance...to cover the cost of potentially catastrophic illness. If you snooze, you lose...but more to the point, the average per capita cost of medical treatment is probably less than $6000.

What if I can't AFFORD a $6000 policy or the cost of my coverage? Well, that would be called WELFARE...relying on the good will of others to pay for that which you can't afford.

But the idea that lack of health insurance is somehow keeping people from getting medical treatment is false. You can choose how you spend your money...take your chances, or perhaps die...or beg from others.

t the end of the day, the SAME PEOPLE will be begging or borrowing from others. Having or not having health insurance isn't the issue. The issue is having the education to earn a salary that will allow you to either buy insurance or pay for coverage.

Demanding anything else is now somehow dipping into MY pocket...and it looks like I just don't have a say.