Sofaspud Wrote:The only difference is the time of payment, and I think you'll find that this is the precise thing that insurance companies make their money on -- they accept money from people in exchange for a promise to pay, immediately, the debt incurred as a result of whatever the policy covers, banking -- statistically -- on the fact that the majority of their clients don't actually make use of the insurance they purchase. In addition, they manipulate the set, always looking to profit. This is something else I find abhorrent, and is the main reason why I support higher taxes to pay for universal health care -- even though, both from a statistics standpoint and from a personal one, I won't see any direct benefit from it -- rather than mandatory payment to private insurers who are literally only there to make a buck.
Sorry if I came on a little strong before I'm just tired of crazies ranting about deathpanels.
Almost everyone will benefit from healthcare eventually, because as we get older we tend to need it more, and those who don't make it so far tend to run up a lot of expenses on the way out. Ideally it would work like your retirement account, you pay in your entire working life and you get the help when you need it, along with some wealth shifting, because a family that earns 24'000$ a year is just never going to be able to pay to take their kids to the doctor, and there are significant benefits to not having epidemics breed in the poor sections of the country, and it gives those kids a better chance to make something of themselves, although granted an education would be more helpful in that regard.
Also agreed about the insurance companies, but the political system seems powerless to take them on. (Not that surprising since in 2008, before the big healthcare debate the healthcare industry spent roughly one million per congress-critter on lobbying.)
-*-*-*-
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."