The scourge known as pre-existing conditions could be dead at last! What people don't understand is that practice of denying people insurance who have a pre-existing condition was part of a deal struck with insurance companies by the government in the 60's when Medicare and Medicaid were created. That was going to be the 'stick' by which Americans would be punished with if they didn't carry insurance and waited until they were sick to sign up for insurance. The government assured insurance companies that this would compel healthy people to get insurance and therefore make up for any lost business due to the government taking over health care for seniors.
Well, without the threat of being denied insurance for a pre-existing condition; explain to me again why I should carry health insurance? My choices are to continue to pay the monthly premiums as I do today, or I can drop my coverage and pay a tax that is roughly equivalent to one months premium? And then, if I get sick? Just sign up for insurance then! Brilliant!
If you think about it in those terms, there really is a lot of incentive to save a lot of money by dropping your insurance. But don't forget to pay that tax! or you could spend up to 5 years in prison!
If the pre-existing condition threat didn't make people get insurance, why will this piddly tax make people get insurance? It just doesn't add up.
