Reply #154: How is it stealing to ask for someone to pay for something?

[gmoney]

If they're going to pay the money, then they should pay it up front like everyone else and everything is fine.

If they choose not to pay the money up front, then why should they get a free ride until they feel like paying or are caught not paying?

Medical coverage, while it isn't tangible, is not nothing. It is something, it is valuable, that's why it's expensive.

It's like your city fire department... everyone pays every year to support the department... but only a few people will actually need their services during the year. Just because you don't feel your house won't catch on fire doesn't mean you shouldn't have to pay your share to receive the protection.

Nobody is going to be penalized until the plans are in place and available, and it will be widely known where and how to sign up. Theoretically, for those who don't already have coverage, there should be some sort of qualifying coverage that will be affordable to everyone, or provided free of charge if their income is low enough. So it will be easy to avoid the penalty situation.

Those who are going to be penalized are only the ones who deliberately choose NOT to participate, because they're receiving the protection/coverage of the community's ER, even if they don't use it. Think of the penalty as paying back for the coverage already received.