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There are a number of issues with it.
1. The law is not applied equally to everyone. Why should I have to pay hundreds of dollars per month for my healthcare while others get it for free? If you’re going to require everyone to have coverage and give it out for those who can’t afford it, then give it out to everyone for free.
2. You shouldn’t be able to fine those who don’t have coverage. If the government can force someone to purchase insurance, then why can’t they force other things? Why can’t they say, ok, if you vote Republican, we’re going to fine you? Free market means you can buy what you want, and refuse what you want. The government shouldn’t be able to force people to buy things.
3. Regarding pre-existing conditions, it makes a lot of sense to exclude them. There are actually laws in place that require they be covered as long as you’ve had coverage. So let’s say Person A has a job, and gets insurance through Oxford. He develops a health issue while there. Oxford covers the treatment. But then he switches jobs – and his new employer offers Aetna, not Oxford. Since he had coverage already, the law requires the new insurance provider to cover the pre-existing condition.
But now let’s look at what happens if you always require companies to cover pre-existing conditions. Person B is a nice, healthy person. Let’s say getting health insurance would cost him roughly $600 per month. He doesn’t want to pay it, as he’s a healthy guy. One day, he’s playing basketball, and he lands the wrong way, and breaks his leg. He calls up a health insurance provider and signs up – for $600 per month. He goes to the hospital, gets his leg treated. The insurance pays the hospital $5,000. After he’s been treated, he cancels the plan. Let’s say he paid 2 months of premium – $1,200. Now the insurance company had a loss of $3,800 on his case. If he had coverage the whole time, he would have paid many more months without any claims which would make up for the loss. But if they allow people to do this, the premiums would rise astronomically to make up for these cases.
As for people without any insurance, I’m sorry, but healthcare is not a basic right that people get. It is a privilege.
I have gone through infertility, and you can’t imagine the pain that comes along with it. I am tremendously grateful to Bonei Olam for all the help they gave both me and my wife. Besides for the money, they are always there if you just need to talk to someone. I don’t even know how many hours I spent on the phone with someone from Bonei Olam. At one point, the doctor told us to look into adoption, because he decided he couldn’t help us anymore – he’d tried everything he could, and things just weren’t working as they should.
So what did Bonei Olam tell us? “There are three partners in making a baby – two parents, and Hashem. Not a doctor. The doctor is merely a shaliach of Hashem. Obviously, this is not the right shaliach. We’ll just look for the right one!” And so it was. They helped us look for the right doctor for us.
There is a Chinese Auction tonight in Brooklyn for Bonei Olam. You can order tickets through their website (just don’t put in for the same prizes that I did!) I encourage everyone to support this amazing organization.
One last thing. Yes, there are other tzedakos out there. You can argue that some are more worthy of support. How would you feel if you, your child, your sibling, or other close relative needed help with infertility? Statistics show that one in seven couples need help having children. Many families have that many children. Just because they don’t tell you doesn’t mean they don’t need the help. Support Bonei Olam, because the family they help might be yours.
I know what it’s like to go through this. My wife and I found out early on that we couldn’t have children naturally. Thankfully, Hashem sent us his messengers from Bonei Olam, who helped us tremendously. After about 4 years of running to doctors, we finally had twins!
Going through fertility treatments is very tough. Most people can’t understand what it’s like. My wife and I are happy now that we have 2 children. Would we want more? I don’t know. I choose to look on the bright side. We have a son and a daughter, so we fulfilled pru ur’vu according to all shitos. We won’t have to worry about the financial issues that sometimes come up when you have 6 or 7 kids. We don’t have to worry about getting burned out from raising kids all the time.
If, one day, we decide to try again, we’ll go back to a doctor. For now, we thank Hashem for sending us what we have. I’ve always been told that Hashem only sends us what we can handle. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of more kids? Hashem knows what’s best for me, so I leave it in his hands.