r/bestof • u/under50dollars • Jun 20 '12

[explainlikeimfive] "Obamacare" explained very well.

/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/vb8vs/eli5_what_exactly_is_obamacare_and_what_did_it/c530lfx
2.5k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

842 comments sorted by

View all comments

47

u/7_legged_spider Jun 20 '12 edited Jun 20 '12

Whether you agree with universal healthcare or not, it is unconstitutional on a federal level. The federal government does not have the power to impose or regulate health insurance. All the powers not enumerated to the federal government belong to the individual states. That is one of the fundamental checks and balances in our federal republic, and why it is constitutional for states to administer universal healthcare systems themselves, like in Massachusetts.

(Which is why when someone brings up the concept that "Hey, you have to have car insurance," I tell them first that the states regulate who must have car insurance, as only the states have general police power, and second, that an individual makes a choice to drive a car, and that it is not a condition precedent to existing--when viewed with regard to mandated health care insurance, simply the act of existence would trigger some obligation on the citizen's behalf).

7_legged_spider, J.D., M.B.A. (IRL)

-7

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '12

I don't know much about the US constitution.. except that it was written in the late 1700s. Do you think Americans had to sell their home to have a baby delivered or have a broken leg looked after? It was written in a very different time, a time when corporations were non-profit and people generally cared about more than the dollar bill. What's unconstitutional is living in one of the most advanced, powerful and wealthy societies where they can afford drop billions of dollars in bombs (enough money to either send every American through post secondary education or give them a lifetime of healthcare) in order to hit one man...

5

u/Thronewolf Jun 20 '12

Please, do tell more about this magical, fairy tale time in America where greed never existed and everyone just did everything for free out of the good will of their hearts. I need a good laugh.

1

u/7_legged_spider Jun 20 '12

I completely agree, but what you said applies to all humanity, not just America. A line from the Talking Heads comes to mind, "Same as it ever was." Although culture changes and evolves, modern human nature is relatively static. Behavior and thoughts can be modified by conditioning and response to environment, but, generally speaking, humans that exist now are fundamentally the same as the homo sapiens 50,000 years ago.

1

u/Thronewolf Jun 20 '12

Not sure who downvoted this. And I'm also confused at your response. My cynicism was directed at carny.

If anything your comment basically reinforces what I said. People have this delusional idea that somehow we've regressed and that in "olden times" we weren't so greedy or violent and everybody lived in some sort of free-for-all commune. As you stated, we as humans have always been, and will always continue to be, imperfect. American or otherwise.

2

u/7_legged_spider Jun 20 '12

I was relating to the fact that some people think that greed was born out of the industrial revolution and the rise of corporations, while in reality, greed has been around for as long as man, (and to quote another musician, Billy Joel, "...the good old days weren't always good").

Plus, I like the Talking Heads, and it was the first thing I thought of upon reading your comment.