Steak and Caviar for Everyone?

     The customer went to the supermarket to buy a loaf of
bread.  The clerk punched the cash register and said "That will
be $71.00."

     The customer replied, "How much did you say?"

     "$71.00."

     "For a loaf of bread?"

     "No," the clerk replied, "For the bread, sirloin steak, and
caviar."

     "I don't want sirloin steak and caviar, just a plain loaf of
bread."

     "We can't sell just a loaf of bread" explained the clerk. 
"We are required by law to  provide all customers with sirloin
steak and caviar."

     "I don't want sirloin steak and caviar.  Besides, I only
have $10.00."

     "That doesn't mater.  We must abide by the mandate and
provide the whole package."

     "I'm going to another store," responded the frustrated
customer.  "My kids are hungry."

     "That won't work.  All stores must include sirloin steak
and caviar."

     The frustrated customer went home to tell her children
they would have to eat their peanut butter without bread.

     Is this crazy or what?  Would sane people tolerate having
no options other than buying expensive food or no food?  Would
people be better off with no food than with the food they could
afford?   How many people who could only afford the bare
essentials of food would starve because they were denied the
opportunity to buy the food they could afford?

     Still, millions believe mandating that all medical
insurance policies include the equivalent of sirloin steak and
caviar is a great idea.  Of course, those government mandates
don't mention that the customer pays for the mandated bells and
whistles.

     The mandate requires insurance companies to pay for
drug rehab, psychiatry, child birth, contraceptives, etc. 
Nationwide there are 2,000 or so mandated coverages.  How
many ask "Who pays for all of this?"  Someone must pay the
insurance company.  Otherwise the insurance company will be
bankrupt.  Then it won't pay for any services.

     If the mandates were honestly stated they would say "To
buy medical insurance you must  pay for drug rehab, psychiatry,
child birth, contraceptives, etc."  It doesn't matter whether you
need or want the mandated coverage, you must pay for it, or
make do without medical insurance.  Still the politicians who
made medical insurance unaffordable complain that many people
can't afford medical insurance.

     Cost of medical insurance for college age individuals has
greatly increased this year   Why?  Obama care.  How many
more young people will have to go without insurance because of
the government mandated price increase?

     The price increase isn't from young people suddenly
incurring more medical expenses.  It is from government shifting
the medical costs of older people to younger people.  Young
people with low incomes, or no incomes, are forced to subsidize
medical costs for the wealthiest generation.

     This is only one small example of how government
intervention has kited the cost of medical services and medical
insurance.  The politicians are mainly responsible for creating
the mess.  Why would any sane, thinking person trust those
politicians to clean up their mess?

     Government has meddled with the providing of medical
services for more than a century.  The chickens are coming
home to roost.  How can any sane, thinking person seriously
expect more government meddling to solve the problem?

     We can continue down the road we tread and see medical
costs soar and denial of service become common place.  Or, we
can force government to back off and allow free people
voluntarily cooperating with each other to clean up government's
mess.  Mandating sirloin steak and caviar for everyone is the
problem, not the solution.

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Copyright 2012
Albert D. McCallum
18440 29-1/2 Mile Road
Springport, Michigan 49284