publiusvarus wrote:
Xarus,
Quote:
lying to promote fear
You mean like the lie that 10's of millions of americans can't afford health insurance? And using this to take over 1/6 of the capitalist american economic system.
Actually, the line is that the 46+ million Americans DON'T HAVE health insurance, not that they necessarily can't afford it. Although I think it's fair that a good amount of the 46 million don't have it because they can't afford it.
You know what's really stupid? My step dad's health insurance policy costs him about $150 a month. He's 46, smokes and drinks daily. He's a healthy weight though, so he's got that going for him. I'm 26, I don't smoke, and rarely drink, yet my health insurance costs about $275 a month. Why is this? Because my health insurance company views me as a potential baby making machine due to my age. This is despite the fact that I currently am using an IUD for birth control, a method that is over 99% effective (and even if I were to get pregnant, I would have to get an abortion because it would end up being an encoptic pregnancy). Luckily for me, my mom currently pays my health insurance because I'm in school, but it's getting so expensive that she probably won't be able to afford it for much longer. My premiums keep going up and up for no apparent reason. Two years ago they were about $150 a month. My bf can't afford health insurance at all, and has gone without pretty much since he hit his twenties and his parents could no longer cover him.
Think about this rationally for a minute. A person making minimum wage, working full time grosses about $1350 per month. Just taking out federal taxes knocks that down to about $1150 per month. Typical budget spread sheets suggest you pay about 5 to 10 % of your net income in health care costs. That's a maximum of $115. You're going to want to leave a little wiggle room there for pharmaceutical costs, and co pays for office visits if you have any. The vast majority of people are not going to qualify for insurance premiums that low, hence why so many people can't afford health insurance.