Brian, you need to stop defending yourself for the very unfortunate use of the term leech. It was wrong, insensitive, and frankly very hurtful to any one that’s ever been sick, or has love ones with a major illness.
Plus it is just not true.
If you look at flu, he is in the category known in medicine as a true underutilizer. (Asian men in general do not seek care needlessly, they as a group have the least somatic complaints.) yet all underutilizers (including you, Brian) have a potential to get sick and become a utilizer. And that’s why we have insurance.
The argument FOR the mandate is simple.
If we as a country and as a society have laws and expectations that anyone sick or dying (utilizer) will not be turned away. And all underutilizers may potentially become a utilizer at any given moment of time. Then ALL (regardless of utilizing status) should be mandated to have insurance because we ALL may potentially utilize the health care system.
If we don’t want the mandate, then we as a country and society need to move away from the laws and expectations that all sick and dying should be treated.
The best example here is China. It is the ultimate in the capitalist model. health care is available purely by cash. You do not have enough cash, you WILL be turned away even while you are clinching your chest or if you are bleeding nonstop. And if you only have partial cash, expect the care to be partial as well. (like the woman who didn’t have enough to give to her obgyn, and her vagina was sutured closed until she came up with the money).
We absolutely can’t have it both ways, that leads to bankruptcy, as we are clearly well on our way.
