What is the MOST important issue to you as a liberal?

[Honeycombe8]

42. People don't "buy" care from the govt. The govt isn't in the health care business. It can "provide"

healthcare indirectly by funding care providers, which I think is what you mean.

You already are in the healthcare market, if you've ever been to a doctor. So you are expecting someone else to pay for it, if you have a bill you can't pay. All the mandate does is make the freeloaders pay for their own care. (By freeloaders, I mean those who CAN afford to provide their own ins., but refuse to do so, and leave it for others to pay for it). If they are too poor to buy it, they'll take MY money to pay for part of your ins. premium, and that's a benefit to you. I'm not complaining about that.

I used to think the way you do, until I actually considered how the system works now and how it will work. It does make sense. That's because everyone, except for those who receive no care because of religious objections, is in the healthcare market already.

The mandate was Hillary Clinton's plan. I was against it. But now I am for it. It lowers the cost of health care for all.

Besides, it doesn't affect most people. For those who get ins through employers, or who are 65 or older, or already buy ins., they are not affected. It doesn't affect those in poverty, since they qualify for Medicaid.

We do not have a single payer plan, and a country cannot switch from one system to a totally different system in one fell swoop. It simply cannot be done. It has never been done in the history of the world. If you sit down with pen and paper and try to work it out, you'll quickly see that. Too much would have to be changed at one time, and the risk of people going without care and suffering and dying because of that, would be too high. It has to be done in stages.

We have to work with what we have, not what we wish we have. The ACA helps millions of people. It enlarges Medicaid (I have a relative on Medicaid), helps those with pre-existing conditions get ins at a reasonable cost, helps people find the best policy at a one-stop shopping center where ins cos bid for your business (check out the fed govt site on that...it's awesome), provides subsidies to those who can't afford ins., and equalizes the rates charged to people (women no longer will be paying 100% more for their ins. than men, high risk people will no longer be priced out of the health care market entirely), and many other things.

Be glad for those the ACA helps. It helps millions. You are lucky that you are not one of those who needs the ACA. But be glad for those who do. I am.