Conservative Think Tank: People Don’t Want Health Insurance

Conservatives Know Things The Rest of Us Don’t Even Suspect

Wednesday’s USA Today reports on the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Program, PCIP, that was started as part of the Obama Health Reform package.  This is a low cost insurance program designed to provide health insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions who have been without health insurance for 6 months or longer.

The USA Today report focuses on the much lower than expected enrollment.  The explanation could be one of several things, the cost of the program, the requirement that applicants must have been without health insurance for six months or longer, the total lack of publicity about the program so potential enrollees are not aware of it, or even the stigma of getting into such a program.

However, it turns out, that according to the Cato Institute, it’s because people don’t want health insurance.

Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies for the libertarian Cato Institute, said the lack of enrollees shows that the program was never popular to begin with.

"They're giving away health insurance, and people don't want it," he said. (emphasis added)

Yep, you can give away health insurance and people who need it because of pre-existing conditions just don’t want it.  They would rather pay thousands of dollars out of their own pockets for health care.  Sure they would.

Mr. Cannon goes on to say

The government should allow the market to determine costs, Cannon said.

Well anyone who believes that affordable insurance is available for someone with pre-existing conditions only needs to check with their local carrier.  Of course, that would result in facts and reality getting in the way of ideology and superstition.