Republicans Don't care About Health Care, They Care About Freedom. Freedom is a Healthy Insurance Industry

This is a response from my conservative friend about the public option in health care reform. Forget about item by item issues and forget about the need to bring costs down. It has more to do with the “government” boogie man,” which we all know is us, you and me.

As much as I have argued with him about the health care debacle, and he’s been a sole proprietor paying the full cost with no group discount, it all comes down to PURE ideology.

"GOVERNMENT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESS IN MY HEALTH CARE!!! I DON’T WANT IT! IT’S A BAD BILL, BAD IDEA, THIS IS SOCIALISM (WHICH YOU ARE) I AM NOT! OBAMA’S POLL NUMBERS ARE AT AN ALARMING DECLINE, THAT IS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOW REALIZING THAT HE IS WAY TO. I DO NOT WANT THE GOVERNMENT IN MY PERSONAL LIFE OR BUSINESS. YES, THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED, IN HEALTH CARE, ANYTHING THAT IS THIS BIG IS GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT MEAN ONE BURNS DOWN THE HOUSE TO REBUILD THE HOUSE… be more like John Gault take the initiative, and solve your own problems without the Governments intervention. Moreover, because your way of fixing your problems effects and costs others … That’s trickledown economics of the Democratic kind. We can fix the problems with health care if Government would just get out of the way. Like the registered Democrat said in one of the town hall meetings, that Obama took six months to decide on a dog … what’s the big hurry?"

My answer:

Very simply, health care in the private sector has had decades to compete and bring its own prices down. All the other industrialized countries have done it. This is the simplest way to reduce the cost of business, reduce bankruptcy, save 6 times more lives than those lost on 9/11 every year...etc.

I have a feeling from your response that none of that matters. There is something about saving Americans money and freeing people to start their own businesses that doesn't compute for "I'm losing my freedom" loving Americans.

If I spent the full amount of my deductible and yearly premium on a health problem ($15,000), that would be almost $11,000 that won't be spent on a new car, appliances, home improvements, business start-ups and on and on...

Reform will reduce that by $8000 to $10,000. Not bad huh? Talk about stimulus. Of course, you're happy paying $1000 for the uninsured a year. If you’re cool with that, in a few years that cost will rise to $2000. Penny wise dollar foolish, that's a Republican.

Freedom at what cost? Were you complaining about Wall Street risking our investment money and retirement accounts? There is risk when investing, but this was reckless gambling on hard working Americans money.

Instead, you cling to some ridiculous Ayn Rand theory, a theory yet to be realized in any country. A theory that does not take into consideration greed and crooks. BIG FLAW.

Sadly, the statement “GOVERNMENT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESS IN MY HEALTH CARE!!!” is meaningless. That's your concept. That's your surrender to the insurance industry, leaving them to charge what they want, and drop who they think is to costly to keep healthy. I guess your freedoms come from a profitable insurance industry, draining money away from consumers.

I want the extra money to be free. The extra money I’ll save when health care is reformed.