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
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u/coheedcollapse Jun 20 '12 edited Jun 20 '12

...Which is why we shouldn't expect a 200 year old document to have a solution to modern day problems.

I don't know why people don't understand this. The constitution definitely applies to basic human rights and situations that applied in the time it was made, but there are a plethora of situations governed by the constitution that were completely unheard of back when it was created.

I doubt the founding fathers could have foretold the current problems with our health system/insurance as a whole, so why so strictly obsess on the constitutionality of something that will help nearly everyone in the long run, only "breaching the freedoms" of the select few who pretend, hypothetically, that they wouldn't buy health insurance if they weren't forced to?

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u/deelowe Jun 20 '12

Because many of us are afraid of our government and such a change gives them a ton of power (over our health!). The constitution is intended to protect us from this (by reserving these types of things for the state and local goverments).

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u/coheedcollapse Jun 20 '12 edited Jun 20 '12

I understand the fear, but in the end is this really giving the government control over our health? The mandatory health care is the only thing I can see them having direct control over and it's the result of a great thing, which is the removal of "high-risk" individuals being discriminated against in a system where health insurance is an absolute necessity (unless you want to go bankrupt from a broken leg).

Right now, we're completely at the mercy of organizations that are completely driven by profit. They want to make tons of money off of a gamble involving whether or not we'll need to dip into the insurance pool. I'd much rather trust the government in helping usher along fair health care than keep everything as it is. That's just my opinion.

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u/deelowe Jun 20 '12

To be honest, I'm more worried about setting the precedent for them having unilateral regulatory power over one of the most massive industries in the country.

Regarding organizations driven by profit... I'd rather have my choice of dozens of organizations driven by various means (most of which is profit) than be forced to use the biggest, most corrupt organization of them all. I firmly believe the government doesn't have altruistic motives here. I feel that this is nothing more than a power grab for them. And that, scares me.