The individual mandate: I and others warned that this was coming, too.

[Honeycombe8]

310. I think you need learn reality. We don't have single payer. We have an ins. system.

Letting people who have no health care at all right now go without subsidized health care because YOU don't like it, is not an option. We have to deal with reality.

I have people in my family who could've used subsidized health care. There was a time when I would have welcomed it. Thank goodness I was young and was able to go without health care without running into too much trouble. It's too late for me and my relatives, now. But there are millions who will welcome this benefit. It IS a benefit. It's a very good thing.

And there's nothing wrong with having people who can afford it contribute towards their health care. If you earn $20k a year in a medium-COLA area, with no children, it'll be rough, but you can manage $80/month. I know this because I lived it (of course I got paid a lot less than $20k, since it was many years ago). It's a cost of living, like food, car gas, rent. And like food, it is susidized, if you can't afford it.

We need everyone in the medical care wagon. Why? Because they are already in it. EVERYONE is in the medical care wagon, whether they want to be or not. If anyone has ever been to a doctor or will ever go to a doctor or care provider, that person is in the medical care wagon. They need care (or in our system, that means coverage).

Having this coverage will prevent them from losing everything because of one hospital stay or one long illness, which happens.