"Pete C." wrote in message
ster.com...

wrote:

"Pete C." wrote:

Our health care system works well, 86% of our ~350M population has
health insurance and of the remaining 14% a good number have it
available, but choose not to take it.

Wrong. Well, yes, it's "available", but unaffordable. I'm self-employed and
I live in NY, which requires health insurance to cover nearly everything
(HMO-type) including "wellcare" office visits with a small co-pay, etc. I
never see a doctor for anything unless I'm broken or bleeding, so I only
want catastrophic coverage (heart attack, cancer, etc.) but I can't legally
buy that. The cheapest insurance I can find is 35% of my gross income (a lot
more than my mortgage payment) and it has a $3k yearly deductible. Why on
earth would I flush 35% of my income down a black hole? Also, since I have
no chance of making the deductible, I'd be paying 50% more than I would out
of pocket since my urgent care center comps 50% of the charges for the
uninsured. If you have insurance you pay the full amount even if you haven't
met the deductible.

And as for the idea that the uninsured don't have to pay for healthcare,
where did you get that idea? If I have to get stitches I get a huge bill and
I have to pay it. Maybe the taxpayers pick up the tab for the homeless and
illegals with phony paperwork, but they sure don't pick up mine.

My "health insurance" is a 45 minute daily workout and eating properly.