Are You Serious About the Healthcare Mandate Silliness

I am no fan of "Obamacare" except from the standpoint that without it I, as a 59 year old male self employed person who takes a couple of medications, could not buy traditional health insurance at any price.  I was told time after time that I did not "qualify" for traditional health insurance.  So after Obamacare was passed I called one of my health insurance contacts and asked if there was anything in it that would help me get real health insurance.  Insurance is definitely one of the things that Joni Mitchell  meant when she said "you don't know what you got til it's gone".  OK, maybe not because we were all healthy and immortal back then.  But I'll bet she includes it now.

My insurance guy says "yeah, there is something in there just for you".  It's called the Preexisting Conditions Insurance Plan, or PCIP.  It is a temporary fix until the actual preexisting conditions law kicks in in 2014.  So now I have real health insurance.  I pay a lot in premiums and it is a high deductible policy.  But right now I'm OK with that.

I said all of that to show why I may not be able to be really objective on the subject since it has really helped me out.

And if they mandate that I have to buy health insurance I'm happy to buy it.  If they mandate that I have to buy broccoli?  Well I already buy broccoli.  I don't guess they can make me eat it.  If they mandate that I have to buy a fuel efficient car?  I'm good with that.  I think I should have a fuel efficient automobile for a lot of reasons.  

But, having said that stuff, I do comprehend the overarching issue of government mandates.  I truly am torn because I realize that in a worst case scenario the government could mandate that I buy things that I really don't want to buy.  And not insignificant things like broccoli or things that would in general be a positive step for the common good like fuel efficient automobiles.  I see that.  I get that.

But, here's the rub.  The USA health care system pre Obamacare had been broken and had been broken for decades.  I don't think there are many who would disagree with that.  But I don't believe that Obamacare as it stands is the answer.  As I said, I am no fan, other than from a purely selfish standpoint.

So, here we are.  We've got to do something.  But between fearmongers talking about government takeovers of healthcare and throwing the S word out every ten minutes, and now the word mandate is the symbol of all that is evil.  I honestly have no faith that this country has the will to do what would need to be done to replace what we've got with what we need.

The right says that if they control Washington they will repeal Obamcare "day one". ( I have to chuckle a little everytime I think of all the things they are going to do day one.  We must be electing a King.)  Then they will replace it.  Repeal and replace.  That is the mantra.  But I have no faith that the "Replace" is going to happen.  Should we/could we "fix" Obamacare?  I don't really know the answer.  And is it better than nothing?