Another day, another story

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/opinion/23herbert.html?ex=1350792000&en=8834ae50a0292bc1&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Okay, so this is an opinion piece in the New York Times. And yet it is not full of opinion; it is a recital of one family's story. One of the arguments I often hear made against universal, single payer health care is that most of the people who don't have health insurance are young and healthy and don't want to pay for insurance because they would rather take the chance. To be honest with you, I don't really believe that. I think they may be young, they may be healthy, and even those with children are taking the chance, but I don't think that they always take the chance because they don't want the insurance. I think they are taking the chance because they want a good life for themselves and their children, and they don't want their children or themselves to miss out on food, clothing or shelter so that they can pay the $300 or $500 or $1000 per month for health insurance. Or maybe they have tried to get health insurance and have been turned down, which is how the profit making insurance companies maintain their profit. We have laws requiring insurance companies to provide some type of coverage for bad drivers, even at really high costs. There are no such laws for insurance companies, although some states do mandate coverage for certain pre-existing conditions, so there are those who cannot get coverage at any price.
My employer pays for mine, and I pay the $300 or so for my ONE child, but I miss that money. Fortunately there are only the 2 of us and we can live just fine on my income, but I cannot imagine trying to manage a family of 4 or more with the income I have, and it is well above poverty level. If there were more of us, and I was the sole provider, that health insurance cost would look more and more optional.