Washington’s dream of universal health insurance was not a new thing when then-President Barack Obama first proposed his signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). President Lyndon Johnson preceded him with the Medicare and Medicaid Act of 1965. And 20 years earlier, President Harry Truman was the first U.S. president to propose universal healthcare. But wait. Not everyone is on board.
It sometimes seems like public discussions of health insurance and healthcare costs are based on the premise that everybody wants a single-payer, government-run system. After all, dozens of countries around the world operate such systems. But believe it or not, there are people who don’t want government healthcare. Millions of them vehemently oppose it.
As to their reasons for doing so, they run the gamut from concerns over quality of care to an inherent fear of giving the government too much control. But when push comes to shove, their reasons for not wanting government healthcare are less important than maintaining the freedom that allows them to make such choices.
Health Insurance for Most
One of the greatest myths of the health insurance debate says that most people do not have access to affordable health insurance. It is simply not true. In fact, it is not even close. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just over 91% of all Americans had health insurance in 2020. Only 8.6% went without health insurance for the entire year.
The fact is that health insurance is had by most Americans. Just over 54% have their insurance through their employers. Some of the other more prevalent options are represented as follows:
- Medicare – 18.4%
- Medicaid – 17.8%
- Individual market – 10.5%.
Overall, 66.5% of Americans are covered with private health insurance. Public health insurance plans cover 34.8% of Americans. So no, it is not true that most people don’t have access to affordable health insurance. They do, they have it, and they use it.
Employer-Sponsored Health Plans
By far, the employer-sponsored health plan is the most popular in this country. According to Dallas-based BenefitMall, most employer plans are offered to employers through insurance brokers who either work independently or through general agencies. It is the insurance broker’s job to help employers find the best benefits packages based on need, budget, and other considerations.
During the first few years of the ACA’s implementation, American workers were required to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty. That changed with the GOP tax bill that effectively eliminated the individual mandate in 2017. As a result of that legislation, Americans can once again choose to go without health insurance.
The Freedom to Choose
We talk a lot about the freedom to choose in this country. It is an important freedom to have in every aspect of life. It is a freedom that millions of Americans choose to exercise in terms of health insurance. Politicians know that, despite repeated efforts to force health insurance on people who don’t want it.
In a recent article detailing Democrat efforts to patch some of the holes in our current health insurance system, the New York Times admits that some 27 million Americans would remain uninsured even if legislation currently being worked on is passed and signed into law. Why? Because they would refuse to sign up for government-backed health insurance. They simply don’t want it.
It might be hard for some people to comprehend opposition to government healthcare. But the truth is that there really are people who do not want government involved in their healthcare decisions or budgets. They would rather go without health insurance than cozy up to the government trough.
