CNN: Wolf Blitzer- To Ron Paul: 'Should Society Let Uninsured Die?'

Source:CNN- U.S. Representative Ron Paul (Libertarian, Texas)

"CNN's Wolf Blitzer asks GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul what should happen to patients without health insurance."

From  CNN

Again I have a lot of respect for Representative Ron Paul politically and personally. Politically as a Liberal myself, we have plenty in common on social issues, foreign policy and even to a certain extent on fiscal policy. 

But the idea that government can't make people buy products or services is f(or a lack of a better word) is bogus. (On a good day) Auto insurance, Social Security, Medicare, etc. The whole point of an individual mandate is to require people to pay for at least parts of their health care through health insurance. 

So when Ron Paul suggests that instead of having an individual mandate, or Medicare and Medicaid and going back to what we were doing pre-1965 and passing those costs onto hospitals instead and having them provide the uninsured with free health care, he's suggesting that we pass down these health care costs to public and private hospitals. Perhaps unintentionally, but thats what he's implying. That eventually get passed on to the insured, making them cover their own health care costs. As well as the costs of the uninsured.

So when people get hurt especially for doing something foolish, like drunk driving, driving without a seatbelt (to use as examples) the people who get hurt doing these things or are hurt by people doing these things to them especially foolish things like getting hit by a drunk driver, or people not taking care of themselves by smoking, drinking too much, bad eating habits, not exercising, that they are held accountable for their own decisions and have to pay the price for them good or bad. 

If you believe in personal responsibility, you shouldn't let people pass their health care costs on to hospitals (private and public) or other people who are responsible for having health insurance. If you look at it, the individual mandate is actually a conservative idea that was supported by Conservatives in the past. Like in the Clinton health care reform debate in 1993-94. Because it's about individual responsibility. Holding people responsible for their own decisions that they make in life for good and bad.

The individual mandate isn't about making people buy certain health insurance plans, just that they pick one. Low-income people that are uninsured would need to get on Medicaid or get their own health insurance plan. Senior citizens obviously would have Medicare, people in between Medicaid and Medicare financially and can't afford their own health insurance, could get a tax credit to pay for their health insurance. Business's that can't afford to cover their employees with health insurance, would be eligible for a tax credit to do that which would make their business a more attractable place to work. Especially if they are married or have kids or a medical condition. Perhaps all of these factors and this health insurance would help cover some of their health care costs. 

The individual mandate in health care reform is about individual responsibility as well as individual freedom. Just not having the freedom to abuse other people's freedom by passing your health care costs down to them. It's a conservative idea which is why it's strange at least to me, that Conservatives and even Libertarians today are now so against it.