Romney eyes penalties for those lacking insurance (Mass.)

[midnight armadillo]

omney eyes penalties for those lacking insurance

Costs are key in health plan

By Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff | June 22, 2005

Massachusetts residents who choose not to obtain health insurance
would face tax penalties and even the garnishing of their wages under
a proposal Governor Mitt Romney unveiled yesterday.

Romney says the ''individual mandate" he is proposing, part of his
broader plan to cover the roughly 500,000 people who are uninsured,
would not cost the state any money. But some healthcare specialists
say the approach might cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than
state taxpayers currently provide for government health coverage.

Romney's plan would require all residents in Massachusetts to have
some form of health insurance or agree to pay their medical bills out
of their own pockets. No other state has such a requirement, and if
Romney manages to make it law, it would be a compelling
accomplishment he could point to if he runs for president.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/06/22/romney_eyes_penalties_for_those_lacking_insurance/

-------------------------------

Well, there's an argument that's made that health insurance should be just like car insurance: if it's required, then everyone will have it. Of course, I insure my two cars in MA for $800 each per year, whereas family health insurance can easily be $800 per month. Hm, great analogy, eh? Apparently Mitt Romney, in all his White House dreaming, has decided that punishing people for the grotesque failures of our health care system is the way to go.

[Lars39]

1. This isn't the first time this idea has been floated.

Don't remember which state, though.
Really shows the compassion, doesn't it? :sarcasm:

[getmeouttahere]

2. There are no words....

this country is FUBAR!

[carnie_sf]

3. Arnie has broached the same idea in CA

Sounds like pandering to the insurance industry to me.

[undergroundpanther]

5. Another form

of debt slavery.Slave labor will pay off the "debt" these corporate pigs have rung up in otther countries.

http://www.unknownnews.org/050607a-Panther.html

[GreenArrow]

19. so did John Edwards

except he limited it to children. IIRC.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. Is he going to pay for the coverage, too? Why does he think so....

...many of his state's citizens don't have health insurance? Does he think they're purposely going through life without health and medical coverage just to personally piss him off?

What an idiot.

[midnight armadillo]

9. Great phrasing

Mind if I borrow this sentiment for a scathing LTTE I'm going to compose
this afternoon? :-)

[patricia92243]

11. He is just following his leaders way of thinking" people are poor because

they don't work hard enough." George W. Bush

[Imagine My Surprise]

6. Another milestone for the party that prides itself on Small Government

[eissa]

7. And this guy wants to run for president?!

Another thing that boggles my mind -- if you're a democrat from the northeast running for president, you're "out of touch" with the rest of the country. But a repuke running from the same region is ok? Geez, the rw practically made Mass. a foreign nation when Kerry was running!

[LizW]

8. "No other state has such a requirement..."

"Romney's plan would require all residents in Massachusetts to have
some form of health insurance or agree to pay their medical bills out
of their own pockets."

Uh...every state has such a requirement. It's called contract law. If you have health insurance, you sign a contract at the time you get treatment that says (in most cases) your insurer can pay the benefits directly to the provider. If you don't have insurance, you sign a contract that says you will pay out of pocket.

If you don't pay, the providers can and do come after you and they can, and do, obtain judgments against any assets you have, including garnishing your wages if you can still work while you're sick.

This is just a pie in the sky fake "plan" that doesn't give any details about how it would be paid for, but is full of lovely Republican hate code like "free-riders".

[patdem]

13. Yeah, but the state can put you in jail if you don't pay..the insurance

company cannot. So I guess he is going to make being poor a felony in MA?

[Misskittycat]

10. When was the last time this guy was in touch with reality?

What about the large number of people who are medically uninsurable? Are the insurance companies going to suddenly decide to cover them? At what cost? A few thousand a month?

[SoCalDem]

12. Gee what a great idea..

A poor family that cannot afford insurance will now have a FINE to pay too..:)

:sarcasm:..

[Politicub]

14. What about mandatory beatings?

Nothing says compassion and Christian luv more than a nice flogging for not having the money to buy health insurance.

[UdoKier]

15. What a fucking rat bastard.

If you are going to force people to buy it, you better damn well provide it at an affordable price.

[Ganja Ninja]

16. Well if your going to make insurance mandatory then ....

why not tax everyone and provide everyone with the same coverage? I don't see how it could be constitutional to force someone to do business with a private corporation. It's as if your ordering people to pay taxes to a private corporation.

[ComerPerro]

17. Check out this quote by the asshole

''No more 'free riding,' if you will, where an individual says: 'I'm not going to pay, even though I can afford it. I'm not going to get insurance, even though I can afford it. I'm instead going to just show up and make the taxpayers pay for me,' " Romney told reporters after a healthcare speech at the John F. Kennedy Library.



Sound familiar?

Isn't that what American coroporations and buisnesses like Wal-Mart are doing?

[geniph]

18. I'd like to impose penalties on legislators

who lack basic common sense, myself.

How in the holy hell are people supposed to PAY for this, Romney? Does the money come from the air? Will insurance companies provide this coverage to the indigent and the working poor out of the goodness of their hearts (BWAHAHAHA!)?

Is he REALLY this stupid?

Bad poor people! Go off and die! How dare you get ill!

:eyes:

[blogslut]

20. Foolish Romney

There's no money in extorting the poor. Extort the rich!