Healthcare rally takes part at Hugh MacRae Park Sunday

In response to several of your comments:

1. You certainly make assumptions that are not substantiated by facts. Your biases obviously cloud your perception of the world around you. For example, you said, "Why, by the time COBRA had expired, had you not found another job?" How did you conclude that I was unemployed? That is inaccurate, but consistent with your other comment, "So will you feel better if I say, "...lazy, inept, and mixed up on their financial priorities?" It appears that you believe that all the uninsured are lazy and irresponsible. That's hardly the case. For example, my wife and I each have advanced degrees and have been employed for our entire adult lives.

2. You said, "Pay for your own healthcare. It's not my responsibility." Webster defines insurance as a "contract by which one party agrees to guarantee or indemnify another against loss by a specified contingent event or peril." It is a shared risk concept. If you'd prefer not to participate, then don't. However, it's not a one-way street. Don't expect the rest of us to protect you if you aren't willing to reciprocate.

Furthermore, 40% of Americans do not have employer-paid health insurance. Why are they required to subsidize your insurance premiums via the tax code? Since employee insurance premiums are a form of income that is not taxed, 40% of Americans (many of whom are poor) are subsidizing the other 60% (many of whom are financially well off).

3. You said, "You cannot expect insurance companies to accept pre-existing conditions that guarantee an endless stream of red ink somewhere in the future." In reality, they do already. Most folks participate in GROUP plans that accept those with pre-existing conditions. It's already priced into those plans. The Congressional Republicans support this concept of portability. Even the Chamber of Commerce has endorsed it. "... the Chamber supports some of the proposals currently before Congress, such as ...guaranteed coverage without regard to preexisting conditions,..."

This issue is not only about expensive illnesses. Preexisting conditions include such conditions as being overweight, having high blood pressure and having high cholesterol. Individually these conditions may not result in denial of coverage, but in combination they will result in higher premiums, denial of coverage or a waiver for specific conditions. A Star-News article recently stated that lower back pain is a common condition that can lead to denial of coverage.

The "consumer protections" in the various bills (end to rescission, accepting those with preexisting conditions, and eliminating pricing based on factors other than age) have been agreed to by both sides of the aisle. This is simply an issue of fairness. Why should those who have been insured for their entire life find themselves without health insurance simply because their insurance company went out of business, they changed jobs, or they moved to another state? Is the current system fair to the tens of thousands of salaried retirees of the automobile companies and their parts suppliers? They now live with the fear that their health insurance will be cancelled before they are eligible for Medicare.

I have deliberately not addressed the emotional issue of helping those who are too poor to afford health insurance. All I can say is that one's position on that subject is a reflection of the compassion within their soul.

I am very happy you have the luxury to afford your own insurance. I am lucky in that aspect too. Some americans are not. Before you start spewing your bit about they should have gone to college or taken care of their money better, realize for every one of those who have all those things, their are 10 who have to work at the restaurants you eat at. Their are the men and women working at the gas station. These jobs are necessary. They don't pay a lot. Are the people at these jobs "lazy" and "inept" like you seem to think anyone who can't afford the outrageous cost private insurance rates?

...her's a second chance to answer some questions.

Why, by the time COBRA had expired, had you not found another job?

Has your wife explored the possibilities of seeking employment from a company that will cover her and her dependents?

Have you availed yourself of all the low cost clinics and big-box pharmacies that are springing up? Semi-annual visits to a walk-in clinic and $4.00 generics makes the proprietary drugs your only major expense, and there are even programs to help you pay for those.

In answer to your question, yes, I COULD afford $41k a year, but I would never pay that. I'd simply go without insurance, as many people choose to do. That's not to sound bold or exhibit false bravado, but to emphasize a point I consistently make: If we accept that life isn't fair, how we manage the adversities we face becomes the hallmark of our life. I, for one, will not dedicate a substantial portion of my income to guard against "what if."

"What if" may never come, but if it does I'll accept the consequences of my decision. Let's face it, we're all reaching that same sunset anyway. Far more important than when that arrives is how you live your life, what you accomplish before that.

You cannot expect insurance companies to accept pre-existing conditions that guarantee an endless stream of red ink somewhere in the future. They're insurance companies, not insurance charities. Like every other corporation, they are in business to provide goods or services for a price, and to make money while doing it.

Outlaw dropping someone when they get sick? Sure - I'm 100% behind that. Forcing them to take people with pre-existing conditions at the same rate as everyone else? No way. Your condition is YOUR condition, not mine. Don't expect me to pay more so you can pay less.

Like I said, life's not fair. Here's a key point: The government will never be able to make it fair. YOU have to deal with what life has thrown in your path, and I have no dount that you're capable of doing it. Don't get lazy and expect a bunch of devious, inept politicians to try and solve your problems for you.

I've been paying into Social Security for thirty-nine years and will GLADLY accept my check.

Does that make it any less ridiculous a program? Of course not! Return all the money that my employers and I paid in at a 5% interest rate and THEN I'd gladly pass on a monthly check. As long as I'm forced to participate in this lunacy, you can bet that I'm going to collect the money that was taken from me.

Oh, but wait...they don't HAVE any money to allow people to opt out early! They simply have a bunch of IOUs, because Congress has been using the money. According to the Social Security Administration itself, without a major overhaul or infusion of money (i.e., increased taxes) they'll be flat broke with no money to pay out to recipients in twenty-eight years.

Sounds like flim-flamming, phony-baloney accounting to me....and you want your healthcare run by those same people?