Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Generation Opportunity


The Colbert Report
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Yeah, I'm posting a lot of videos this morning, huh? But there's just something about elderly billionaires - who don't have to worry about health care costs, themselves - trying to convince young people to stay uninsured. How stupid is that?

Are young people really dumb enough to buy this line? You don't get insurance because you expect to use it. You get insurance for those unexpected events which will be disastrous if you don't have it.

And sure, when you're young and don't have many assets, maybe you think you'll just file for bankruptcy, letting the rest of us pay for your health care. OK, you may not worry about the ethics of that, but it's not an effective way to stay healthy, either.

And if you don't make much money, your health insurance costs will be subsidized by the government (which is still cheaper for the rest of us than paying for your health care ourselves). Do you really think it makes sense to avoid a deal like that?

Remember, these are elderly billionaires trying to convince you of this. They've got a lot of money to throw around in fancy ads - filled with attractive young people, no doubt - but do you really think they've got your best interests in mind?

Here, this might help, if you're still wondering:
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) worked with top congressional Democrats behind the scenes to preserve employer contributions for congressional staff's health care plans even as he decried those subsidies in public, Politico reported Tuesday.

Emails and documents obtained by Politico show Boehner and his aides worked with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), among others, to find a way to maintain the long-standing employer contributions. Those documents also show that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was aware of the behind-the-scenes talks.

In addition to those efforts, Boehner attempted to arrange a meeting with President Barack Obama to ask for help in securing the subsidies, the documents show.

Yeah, they want health insurance, just not for you.

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