Giving ObamaCare proponents the finger

By Kenli Schoolland

The health care debate is sure getting heated these days as a 65-year-old man who was against socialized healthcare had his pinky finger bitten off in an argument at a healthcare rally. To be fair, he did punch the other guy first, but was biting off a finger in return really called for?

Internet responses to this incident have shown many proponents of socialised healthcare laughing at the irony that the bitten man went to the hospital afterwards and Medicare was used to cover him. Some have even suggested that if he were really so against socialized medicine that he should have refused treatment.

Well, after 65 years of the government taking money from him to pay for Social Security and Medicare, it’s rather understandable that he would be willing to accept something back for it all. If he hadn’t had so much taken from him by the government for such things he might have been able to afford private coverage of his own.

This is a clear example of why the public option means no option. Though competition may be allowed, it is nowhere near fair competition.We are forced to pay for the public option, making it more difficult to afford a private alternative. In addition, it is impossible to compete with a firm that has a continuous supply of income from taxes regardless of what it does and can offer “free” service. Even those who are opposed to the government provision of health care may not be wealthy enough to afford private health care on top of the healthcare taxes they’re required to pay in the first place.
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Kenli Schoolland is a policy intern at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.