Way To Miss The Elephant-Sized Problem: Man's Healthcare Problem Caused By Irresponsibility, Not Obamacare Or Republicans
A man looks everywhere but the mirror for responsible parties after he develops bleeding in his eyes and a partly detached retina due to diabetes, and then finds the healthcare costs unaffordable. It's Obamacare! No, it's the eeeevil Republicans!
But whoopsy, there's this little bitty tucked into the Greg Sargent WaPo story on his plight:
Lang, 49, a self-employed Republican handyman who has never bought insurance...
Grownups do not gamble and hope it turns out okay and then snivel when it doesn't, which is to be expected.
That is...grownups who are not robots and can't go to Fry's and get a $37 new hard drive if something goes wrong, and grownups who do not take regular sponge baths in the Fountain of Youth.
I've had healthcare -- an HMO -- since I left a big company I worked for in my early 20s. I've paid for this out of pocket ever since, though I would have preferred to put that money to trips to Paris and fabulous new boots.
I realized, when I was in New York after college, that it wouldn't be right of me to gamble and then leave it to my parents or the public to pay for me if something went terribly wrong. So I paid up, got into a system while I was young and healthy so I'd be in. Not that that matters anymore, thanks to Obamacare letting all the irresponsible people in at the same price as those of us who've been forking over for all these years.
via @charlescwcooke
This is better known as the Darwin Effect.
The only time I went without, I was still young, healthy. . . and unemployed. . . And THAT was 25 years ago. . . and lasted all of about 2 months off. .
Keith Glass at May 21, 2015 7:35 AM
I'm with you Amy on the other side. I've been uninsured. And when things came up I paid for it. Whining about it is just childish.
Personally I want a low cost high deductible plan. I'm only looking for coverage for major catastrophic events. Similarly I don't have collision insurance on my car. I do have liability and uninsured motorist protection. If the car gets totaled I will deal with it. That is far cheaper in the long run than pay someone else to deal with it.
Ben at May 21, 2015 10:47 AM
His wife is a real pip, too...
Lang, a Republican, says he knew the act required him to get coverage, but he chose not to do so. But he thought help would be available in an emergency. He and his wife blame President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats for passing a complex and flawed bill.
“(My husband) should be at the front of the line, because he doesn’t work and because he has medical issues,” Mary Lang said last week.
Kevin at May 21, 2015 12:29 PM
Grownups do not gamble and hope it turns out okay and then snivel when it doesn't, which is to be expected.
Yes, they do. Oh, wait, that's "adults" not grownups. Too bad so few do (grow up).
DrCos at May 21, 2015 5:28 PM
Incidentally, what is a 'self-employed Republican handyman'? And how is it different from any other handyman?
Ben at May 21, 2015 5:36 PM
Mitt Romney the republican, was the originator of Obamacare. It was mandated in Massachusetts... somehow it worked there. Why not else where? If republicans worked as hard to improve it instead of working so hard to bring down Obama, it would be working quite well... as it still is in Mass. Remember in Mass by a republican, working fine. Now that it is up by a democrat... OMG, it just can not make it; there's just no way. Please.
David Rezendes at May 21, 2015 9:29 PM
I'm afraid you are wrong David. Romneycare didn't work in Massacusetts. It was a few years from collapse due to the massive costs. Obamacare saved Romney by moving those costs to the federal government from the state.
Ben at May 22, 2015 5:59 AM
I was running errands at lunch yesterday and on the radio a lady called in with a similar sounding problem. She couldn't get treatment her doctor ordered to treat a virus she was infected with. The difference here is that she does have insurance purchased through the government exchange. The radio host tried to defend the insurance companies and gave her some suggestions. Finally she said the insurance did cover the treatment....but only as a last hope for people much sicker than she presently was....so eventually she would get it paid for once she was much sicker which she was sure to do.
The Former Banker at May 22, 2015 8:12 AM
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