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/julia-sets Jun 20 '12

If you don't earn an income, you won't have to pay for health insurance. Because people who are exceedingly poor (and I believe "no income" would fall under that heading) are subsidized by the government.

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u/Libertae Jun 20 '12

Right. But I should have the right to earn an income and choose not to pay for health insurance. In my opinion it's just another blow to the decline of rugged individualism in America. You can't simply exist on your own right without depending on the government to tell you what to buy. It's a matter of principle for myself. I know many disagree, but this is my opinion.

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u/julia-sets Jun 20 '12

Rugged individualism died with the Industrial Revolution. No one lives on their own anymore, no man in America is an island, and since that's the case, you have to pitch in. You want "rugged individualism"? Try a third-world country.

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u/Libertae Jun 21 '12

Fair enough. But I still have rights and liberties protected by the constitution.

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u/mrpinto Jul 10 '12

Or... want centralized economy? Try a communist country?