The whole mandate thing has always been silly. The ordinary American has wanted only one thing out of health care reform: The existence of an infinite supply of healthcare resources.

Oh wait, when I put it that way... that was silly too.

I did not have health insurance working as a contractor for several years and the main reason was that I could not afford it. If you are a healthy person it is much cheaper to pay $50-$100 at the patient first when needed than monthly premiums. I think that our healthcare needs serious overhaul and people should not be rejected because of Pre-existing stuff but requiring people to buy something that perhaps they can't afford is not the answer.

It may be cheaper for you, Chelsea as the patient being seen at Patient First sites for simple illnesses such as flus and minor mishaps. But for society as a whole you are a huge risk especially if you become sick with a terminal illness such as cancer or are in a horrible accident that causes you to be in ICU for long amounts of time. Hospitals will not turn you away unless you are stable, therefore while you lay in ICU without health insurance it is my health insurance premium that increases because of those situations that do happen more often than not. Meaning the hospital must recover those costs of taking care of the "uninsured" and they do by raising their costs which in return raises the cost for those that do have health insurance. It also raises the cost for employers who generously pay for portions of healthcare. Therefore (again) these employers eventually turn that cost over to the employee. So you see Chelsea, even though you couldn't afford health insurance (I'm not faulting you) millions are in the same boat for whatever reasons. This makes a huge problem for all Americans insured or not for different reasons, but all end up in the same stew pot...BROKE!

Well, I suppose one might label me as out in left field on this one, but I am curious about the huge amount of money we expend to cover the health care of folks who are illegally in our country, pay no health insurance what ever....just wondering the amount of big bucks this adds up to and if Obamacare will pick up the tab (which means we will all continue to pay, pay, pay..just by another route) or if these folks will be turned away from emergency rooms. Highly unlikely! And so round and round we go...As Nancy Pelosi said in so many words we will know what is in it AFTER we pay for it. Poor Americans...given the shaft coming and going. Yes our health care system could use an overhaul, but hopefully by health care givers at the table big time...and while we are at it, have an overhaul in congress!! One problemo....which should get major attention first...congress or health care??

Instead of starting with the general public the government should have started with the malpractice insurance companies and tort reform, including a cap on the amount a person can receive from a lawsuit. Then maybe the doctor would not have to order expensive tests to "cover his a**". Also, those with medical assistance cards should stay out of the emergency room unless their illness or injury is truly an emergency. Every time they use the emergency room for a cold etc. it costs us in taxes AND higher insurance rates.

Amy, I don't have insurance either and not by choice. The cheapest insurance I can find will cost about $14,000 a year for my husband and myself and it has a deductible of $10,000 per person but both people have to meet their deductible for anything to be paid for by the insurance company. I'll take my chances. As far as I'm concerned, that is just throwing money away.

This is very simple. A "government" option ELIMINATES the stockholders from the equation. STOCKHOLDERS want profits resulting in the tricks that insurance companies pay; getting a commission on your company's plan; kickbacks from drug companies; only insuring healthy people which increases their income and decreases their payout. It is just plain math. In a non-corporate structure (government) the greedy, decadent stockholders (doctors among them) do not get to skim off the illusion of 'health insurance'. It should be called "pay us for something you don't need because there is nothing wrong with you" insurance. The recent legislation eliminated all the pockets of profit throughout their system. That is why the new rates became so high. The government did not cause that. The government pulled back the curtain, exposed their tricks and the insurance scrambled to adjust their numbers to feed their STOCKHOLDERS. Do read the legislation. It is a tough and lengthy read, but really interesting. The media is not to be trusted. Read the legislation.

What a stupid question! Should they make you get health insurance? How about "Does the government have the power under the Constitution to force an individual to buy a product?" In this case, health insurance

Should government make you eat vegetables at dinner?