[ExI] health care individual mandate

[Mike Dougherty]

On Sun, Nov 8, 2009 at 8:43 PM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
>
> I am deeply reluctant to bring up once more a hot button issue, but a funny
> thought occurred to me.  The US house of reps approved a bill yesterday with
> a weak version of the public option but a strong version of the individual
> mandate to buy health insurance.
>
> What if... you are a member of Christian Science?  Do not confuse Christian
> Science with Scientology, two very different things.  In CS, your own church
> teaches you that it is wrong to visit the medics.  So now your government is
> demanding that you buy health insurance, and since the public option is very
> expensive, they demand that you purchase a very expensive plan you refuse to
> use.  {8^D
>
> So do those guys get a hall pass from the teacher?  If so, what if the young
> indestructibles suddenly discover the wonderful church of Christian Science
> and how wise are the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy?  Would the millions of
> late comers to CS have their hall passes withheld?  Or would the government
> be forced to recogize they have this little clause in the first amendment to
> the constitution, and let the hundred million new CSers go their way?
>

I don't see this being much different from "car insurance" and Amish
buggy-drivers.  Interestingly, the people who provide automobile rides
for the Amish need special insurance to do so.  In the case of health
care coverage for faithful followers of Christian Science, the
government answer is likely to be, "Think of it as just another tax
that everyone has to pay" - then it won't matter if you use the
healthcare service or not, but the expense is shared by everyone.
Same as how I am asked to pay school taxes but have no children to use
the school service.