suzie:

i understand what you are saying,but sometimes having health insurance is a matter of priorities...i know more than one person who chooses not to buy it because of the cost, it is a gamble for sure, and sometimes people lose...i have a friend who says she cannot afford health insurance, and the state does pay for her children, but she gets professional manicures, has high speed internet, cable tv, all 3 kids have an i pod, and lots of nice clothes, her hair is done, they eat out once a week, she has a cell phone, and her husband says he can't get a better job than the one he has...but in truth he could if he would quit smoking pot long enough to pass a drug test to get a better job, i realize this is anecdotal, but i doubt it is unique, so, it makes me wonder if indeed SOME people who say they can't afford health insurance, could in fact afford it if they were willing to truly tighten up...and it makes me a bit reluctant to get on the "let the govt pay for it" bandwagon...i am not without sympathy for the indigent and i am all for reforming a broken system...but i question who is really in need of aid, and who really just needs to grow up.

Well, the point I take from your anecdote is that the government (taxpayers), and the health care system (hospitals, insurance companies, etc) are already paying for the health care, including for people such as your friend and her children. The state pays for her children, and even if she puts off general healthcare for now (because of no insurance) when the years of health neglect worsen to the point of an ER visit or emergency care, her healthcare will be paid for by everyone as well. If everyone was required to have healthcare then people who choose to not be able to afford healthcare will then have only have to decide whether it is the IPod, cable TV, manicures, or fancy clothes to get rid of, and the rest of us won't have to pay higher premiums to cover her.