Thread: Seriousness US/Europe Cultural Divide -- Musings
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Old 04-15-2009, 07:23 PM   #311
Nate the great
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zerospinboson View Post
It isn't? What exactly is the difference between "not paying for your own medical costs" when you're not insured at all and "not paying" while being insured, but only after you've been uninsured for the maximum time period, and only starting to pay premiums when you're statistically likely to become sick?
The whole point of an premium-based insurance system that it's the equivalent of being forced to save for later (even if that money is spent on other people in the meantime, and you might not become sick until very late in life, in which case you might not be getting it all back).

However, there is no qualitative difference between not being insured at all (and incurring bills that "the system" will need to pay for you), and only starting to pay insurance premiums when you're likely to need it.
In both cases you are taking money out of the system without compensating for it or making up for it by paying your premiums, so in both cases you're "getting more than you deserve".
How is this any different from what Xenophon said about that Californian girl who was abusing the system for her own benefit?
This I can respond to.

First of all, where are you located, ZSB? I want to understand your viewpoint.

You're upset becuase you think I'm gaming the system. You think I should pay at 30 becuase I will need it at 50. I disagree. In a given year, I pay for insurance based on the probability of needing it. I do not pay for it based on whether I will need it 10 years from now.

I do not pay to support a "system", I pay based on the probability of my own need.
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