Judging by most Americans' lifestyle choices, health isn't a huge priority for most; it certainly ranks behind pleasure and convenience, judging by the continued popularity of unhealthy fast food and sedentary lifestyles. And if most Americans don't consider their health important enough to take actions themselves, why should I care?
-
We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.
Massachusettes passes bill for Mandatory Health Care.
Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Judging by most Americans' lifestyle choices, health isn't a huge priority for most; it certainly ranks behind pleasure and convenience, judging by the continued popularity of unhealthy fast food and sedentary lifestyles. And if most Americans don't consider their health important enough to take actions themselves, why should I care?
Bowfinger
Lifer
No kidding. "Oh no! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Every time someone does something to help average Americans, the Chicken Littles fall all over themselves declaring the end of the world. How many of them will come back and admit their breathless negativity was wrong -- again -- when MA businesses continue to thrive and there are still more people who want jobs than can find them?
On a related note, have you ever noticed that the people who so loudly condemn "welfare" don't seem to have a problem with the hundreds of billions of dollars we blow on corporate welfare? For example, consider the recent thread about the synfuels scam (Black Gold?). It's apparently OK to hand out billions of dollars to people who want for nothing, yet the country will surely collapse if we try to ensure some minimal level of health care for our most needful fellow Americans. With friends like them, who needs al Qaeda? Their greed is truly shameful.
zephyrprime
Diamond Member
Issues with Massachusett's new initiative aside, I've been thinking recently that health insurance is inevitably going to get nationalized. The reason why is because of big business will demand it. Just look at Delphi. I was reading on the Wallstreet journal the other day that Delphi's health and benefits costs per employee are GREATER than the hourly wages of that employee! Big business will eventually lobby congress for socialized health care.
Darkhawk28
Diamond Member
Bingo. I've been saying that for months. Universal healthcare would be a godsend to companies INSIDE the U.S.. I'd imagine profits AND wages would go up.
catnap1972
Platinum Member
But then you could spend time with your buddy Delay (while he waits to get his ML spot back) :laugh:
CycloWizard
Lifer
So you don't think healthcare has anything to do with quality of life? You would be just as happy having a glass eye/wearing an eyepatch as having a fully functional eye then? Feel free to go this route, but most people here would prefer a fully functional eye. Given that these are the two outcomes of cataract surgery that would occur in Cuba and the US, respectively, and given that there are about 2,000,000 cataract surgeries performed in the US per year, you make the call.
Hasn't anyone thought for a second that business and everydays citizens will LEAVE a state that forces them to pay for anything?
Free market is only free when it does as it chooses. Wal-mart is the example. When they are forced to pay for anything by the Govt., they leave....close shop...terminate employees. Thats the effect of mandatory health care.
As far as those who do not wish health care...
I once went ten years without care, or going to a doctor. Savings was big. I put that money into my house. 286 x 120 = 34320 dollars towards principle on the house that otherwise would have gone to the less fortunate....WAIT...I was the less fortunate being a single guy, no other tax write-off and only (at the time) earning 40,000 per year.
Under the Nanny insurance program in Massachusetts, I would have been forced to take that money and give it to someone less fortunate than I...(hard to do in my case).
Free market is only free when it does as it chooses. Wal-mart is the example. When they are forced to pay for anything by the Govt., they leave....close shop...terminate employees. Thats the effect of mandatory health care.
As far as those who do not wish health care...
I once went ten years without care, or going to a doctor. Savings was big. I put that money into my house. 286 x 120 = 34320 dollars towards principle on the house that otherwise would have gone to the less fortunate....WAIT...I was the less fortunate being a single guy, no other tax write-off and only (at the time) earning 40,000 per year.
Under the Nanny insurance program in Massachusetts, I would have been forced to take that money and give it to someone less fortunate than I...(hard to do in my case).
Bowfinger
Lifer
Some will leave, some will come. The fact is that people and businesses in every state are forced to pay for thousands of things they might skip if it were optional. This program in MA is just one more small drop in a very large bucket. For all the gloom and doom some here are spreading, I'll bet the actual negative impact will be immeasurably small. Smart businessmen won't obsess over it, sobbing about how "socialism" is destroying America. They'll take it in stride and keep their focus on making more money. That's what they do.
1prophet
Diamond Member
Quoted for Truth
I said it before to all the posters stop looking at the big businesses and look at the struggling small businesses in the local neighborhoods. Now according to this you will fine them or force them to pay many thousands of dollars for health insurance per employee annually, and if they choose to pay the 295 dollar annual fee per employee since it will definetly be less than any health insurance, the government then can go after the employees for 1000 dollars a year if some bureaucrat determines they make enough to buy health insurance but choose not to?
Has anyone here priced health insurance lately to see how much it costs out of pocket, I will give you a hint it ain't cheap.
Steeplerot
Lifer
Cheapskate employers will leave or go out of buisness as they should and the free market will replace them. What is so hard about that? Personally I would rather see fat trimmed (like our defense budget or corporate welfare halved or something) to help people.
Steeplerot
Lifer
That is health.Heathy people=better country
uber rich ceos getting richer and failing imperialist scams making us terrorist targets = waste.
catnap1972
Platinum Member
in Zentrollworld, people who can't afford healthcare = better off dead
lmao they just subsidized the insurance industry. I wonder how much money was funneled into the coffers of the lawmakers passing this bill.
btw I wouldnt expect to see a drop in premiums.
btw if premiums do drop who benefits the most from this law?
Seems to me the rich and the poor, the middle class and small business is footing the bill for this. Either they are forced to get insurance for themselves if their job doesnt provide it,or they face fee's from the state.
The poor will recieve healthcare for little to no cost at the expense of the other two classes. And the rich, who are already insured see a drop in healthcare costs.
Edit: Here is my take on what will happen reading this again. Business will simply start to drop employee's from their insurance plan and let the state pick it up or let them fend for themselves. At 295 bucks per person that is a small % of what that person will cost on an insurance plan.
My guess is higher end positions will keep their plans but the low end workers will end up having to foot the bill of their own insurance or end up on the state rolls and expand this program way beyond what they expect. I will be watching this over the next 3-5 years and see what comes of this. We have the same problem in MN with our state insurance benefits. Small business's are pushing their employee's onto the state because the state is making it easier to qualify for insurance. The costs are going through the roof and the intellects at the capital cant figure it out, duh!
1prophet
Diamond Member
Wow, I hope you are being sarcastic, the barber shop, the local diner, the local shoe store, the florist, deli, the pizza place, etc. should go out of business and their employees jobless or fined 1000 dollars if their employer can afford the 295 fee for no insurance.🙁:Q:|😕
You do have a heart don't you?
dmcowen674
No Lifer
Oh come on, they all have to go anyway.
Walmart replaces all of the above.
Come on get with the Republican program.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 24K
-
-
