Clinton Health Plan May Tap Pay

[Jolie]

Clinton health plan may mean tapping pay By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer

17 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she might be willing to have workers' wages garnisheed if they refuse to buy health insurance to achieve coverage for all Americans.

The New York senator has criticized presidential rival Barack Obama for pushing a health plan that would not require universal coverage. Clinton has not always specified the enforcement measures she would embrace, but when pressed during a television interview, she said: "I think there are a number of mechanisms" that are possible, including "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment."

Read full article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080203/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_rdp

[Jolie, BSN]

If you really want to know where a big chunk of money goes, take a look at bills that get passed and look at all the pork in it....We can't trust the government to manage Amtrack to make a profit (or break even), and people want to turn over heath care to Hillary? I think not.

You make some very good points, especially about ridiculous spending.

Another important factor in taxation is that most people have no clue what they pay a year in taxes. Payroll deduction for federal, state and local income taxes, as well as Medicare and SS lulls people into thinking that their "net" pay is all they are due. If taxpayers had to sit down and write a check to the federal government (and state and local) every week or every month, they would have a much better sense of how much they actually lose to taxes, and would be more proactive about holding politicians responsible for spending.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

to bring this back to the original thread topic. building a better health care system doesn't necessarily require a public only or a private only system. it does require that everyone is paying into the health care system either through private insurance or by being allowed to buy into medicare.

taxes already pay for more than 60 percent of us health spending

americans pay the highest health care taxes in the world. we pay for national health insurance, but don’t get it.

(woolhandler, et al. “paying for national health insurance — and not getting it,” health affairs 21(4); july / aug. 2002)

http://pnhp.org/single_payer_resourc...th_program.php

[Jolie, BSN]

Confiscation of money IS the original topic of this thread.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

There is a difference between a right and a duty (responsibility). I have a right to health care but I have a concomitant duty/responsibility to help pay for that health care by being appropriately insured.

Those who can afford to pay for insurance but refuse to do so are freeloaders on the rest of us who choose to be responsible.

See The Partial Constitution by Cass Sunstein for an interesting discussion about the differences between rights and duties to society at large.