How the Dirigo tax came to be (a very short play) (Washington: health insurance, house)

[schizuki]

I was very angry at myself for not being self-informed about the "beverage-tax" question. I thought it was just about funding Dirigo with taxes on soda and the like. I'm all for that, because if people want the government to be in health care, they should be made to pay for it - and this would get some of the money from people who would be using it, along with out-of-staters. Then I saw that it also taxes private health-insurance claims. Excuse me? Taxing you for being sick, and getting private health-insurance companies to help pay for a government-health program? Outrageous. Being torn, I left it blank.

The conversation at the State House to conceive of this bill must have gone something like this:

DEMOCRAT #1: Man, Mainers keep complaining about taxes, but they keep electing us. What's up with that?

DEMOCRAT #2: Seriously! That's messed up. I bet they'd keep voting for us if we did something totally outrageous, like... I dunno, tax them for getting sick!

DEMOCRAT #1: Ha, ha!

DEMOCRAT #2: Dude, I'm serious! Let's try it!

DEMOCRAT #1: No way!

DEMOCRAT #2: Way! Betcha a thousand bucks we can pass a law to tax them for being sick, and we'll still get re-elected!

DEMOCRAT #1: You're on! Even Mainers aren't that enslaved to the Democratic party!

DEMOCRAT #2: Shee-ah, right! Easy money! Oh, crap, I just thought of something - they could pass a citizen's initiative to repeal it!

DEMOCRAT #1: OK, now I know you're high! They keep electing tax-and-spend Democrats, and you think they'll repeal a tax law we pass that pays for the spending we authorize? That's nuts. It's like you think they expect a free lunch, or that government money comes from a magic fountain, or...

DEMOCRAT #2: (looks at Democrat #1 with a knowing grin)

DEMOCRAT #1: Aw, crap. I'm going to be out a thousand bucks. But hey, I'll still be a Maine State Democratic legislator!

[flycessna]

Anytime someone says they have the right to have something…it means someone has to pay for it…even if it isn’t that person.

This whole concept to “free health care” is an oxymoron to me. Nothing is free….and the reason healthcare is expensive is because…people want to be paid for their services.

You cannot receive health care unless some doctor or health practitioner surrenders some of his time - his life - to you. He may be willing to do this for compensation, but that's his choice. You have no "right" to his time or property. You have no right to his or any other person's life or to any portion thereof.

Add to that we are extremely unhealthy, the basic idea that every single person will receive free healthcare means something has to give somewhere else.

Maybe a noble idea….but I just do not trust government to “give” me anything. And dirago is nothing but a dismal failure

[Submariner]

I saw that weeks ago.

Taxing doctor's office visits to pay for government provided health care is really stupid.

[Zymer]

I saw red every time that commercial came on, with the woman saying (not an exact quote): "Oh, it's only a few pennies..."

I don't give a rip, nobody should be taking money from me (more taxes) to pay for other people's health care. I haven't always had medical "insurance" and when I didn't, I forked over cash if I thought I needed to see a doctor. What a novel idea, paying for the services you receive. No one has a "right" to "free" medical care, and it ain't free at all, somebody, somewhere, somehow has got to pay for it, nor dthey have a "right" to make me pay for other's care in addition to my own.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by schizuki

DEMOCRAT #1: Man, Mainers keep complaining about taxes, but they keep electing us. What's up with that?

Democrat, Republican, or other....if you do not like the way that the [state] administration is handling it's finances, then do not vote for incumbents.

Originally Posted by flycessna

Anytime someone says they have the right to have something…it means someone has to pay for it…even if it isn’t that person.

This whole concept to “free health care” is an oxymoron to me. Nothing is free….and the reason healthcare is expensive is because…people want to be paid for their services.

The reason why healthcare is so expensive is because of the HMO's; they are the one's who are making the real money, not the doctors. The AMA has been trying to nationalize healthcare in this country since the 1940's. HMO's are the one's who've been keeping them down.

AMA (Washington) Advocacy efforts

Originally Posted by Zymer

I saw red every time that commercial came on, with the woman saying (not an exact quote): "Oh, it's only a few pennies..."

I don't give a rip, nobody should be taking money from me (more taxes) to pay for other people's health care. I haven't always had medical "insurance" and when I didn't, I forked over cash if I thought I needed to see a doctor. What a novel idea, paying for the services you receive. No one has a "right" to "free" medical care, and it ain't free at all, somebody, somewhere, somehow has got to pay for it, nor dthey have a "right" to make me pay for other's care in addition to my own.

Only pennies....are you that poor, or that much of a scrooge? I find it hard (well, actually I don't) to believe that so many people are so willing to do so little to help other people out. At some point in time, you or someone you know may find themselves sick and without health insurance; or the money to pay out of pocket.

Dirigo is not free, by the way, people do pay to be on it.

[K-Luv]

And I guess that a hospital has the right to charge you $200 for one (1) aspirin, because hey, nothing is free and somebody has to get paid.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Democrat, Republican, or other....if you do not like the way that the [state] administration is handling it's finances, then do not vote for incumbents.

The reason why healthcare is so expensive is because of the HMO's; they are the one's who are making the real money, not the doctors. The AMA has been trying to nationalize healthcare in this country since the 1940's. HMO's are the one's who've been keeping them down.

AMA (Washington) Advocacy efforts


Only pennies....are you that poor, or that much of a scrooge? I find it hard (well, actually I don't) to believe that so many people are so willing to do so little to help other people out. At some point in time, you or someone you know may find themselves sick and without health insurance; or the money to pay out of pocket.

Dirigo is not free, by the way, people do pay to be on it.

It's one thing to volunteer your money to help someone else out. It's entirely another to be forced via a tax to support someone else's healthcare, or anything else for that matter. Every penny in my posession should be mine to do with as I see fit ...not the government. This tax was a back door last minute attempt by the Legislature to prop up a nearly defunct and abused insurance system which benefited few and had been pilfered already by members of the Dirigo board. The rejection of this tax by recall vote is mostly symbolic in nature. It was not the rejection or condemnation of Dirigo Health Care it was a slap at the Legislature for being weasels and invoking a tax without proper public discourse.
We'll see much more of this kind of forced giving in the next four years I'm afraid!

[Submariner]

Our entire health care system is messed up.

Many doctors are no more than drug pushers.

Hospitals have an array of different levels of charges that they can bill for the same procedure, depending upon who they are billing.

Insurance companies, ...

And even our Broadcast networks have their part. Every year new hospital TV shows push the idea that every patient needs 500 tests done before a patient can be treated. Every test using the newest $1million equipment. So everyone expects that level of care.

Sum it all up, and where does it get you?

If every citizen of this nation had one procedure done each year. And that one procedure cost $50,000 [which means that it was a fairly cheap procedure]. Then on average the health care system would need $50,000, plus the insurance company 20% profit, so $60,000 for every citizen of our nation.

Whether that money comes from taxes or medical premiums, it still must flow.

But wait not everyone earns $60,000 a year.

So how do we fix this?

Confiscate all earnings from everyone who earns more than $20,000?

[dmyankee]

The Doctors are usually covering their buts, in case of a lawsuit, forrest.

I firmly believe that tort reform should be the hallmark of any discussion involving affordable health care.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by dmyankee

The Doctors are usually covering their buts, in case of a lawsuit, forrest. ...

I understand.