Reply #248: As an example: the Netherlands [View All]

[mainer]

Those below a certain income level there have their premiums taken care of by the government. Those with incomes above that level MUST contribute. It's a sliding scale of sorts, with EVERYONE who's gainfully employed and able to afford it paying about 100 Euros per person per month.

No one's telling you, if you're impoverished, that you have to shell out what you can't afford. Any program that expects to get wide support has to not only enroll everyone, but also require contributions from everyone who can pay. It's how Social Security works. (Don't you pay Social Security? Are you screaming about that? No, because you know you will get benefits -- in fact, benefits that will probably exceed what you contributed.)

The rich will of course pay extra in this country. The bill already includes a 4.5% extra tax for high earners, something no one else will have to pay. But to say "Oh, let's tax the rich 99% and that will take care of everyone else" simply won't fly. It certainly doesn't happen abroad, in those countries that everyone here touts as admirable health care examples.