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When I ask people why it is OK to force people to have automobile liability insurance but not to have health insurance they always answer “you don’t have to drive.” True, however, you don’t have to receive medical care when you are sick either.

The problem is that health care provides help to anyone who is sick and then tries to figure out how to get paid. So, at present, anyone who chooses to not maintain health insurance is not making a life-or-death decision, just a financial one. If the ability to pay was part of the treatment decision, then the decision to forgo health insurance would become a life-or-death decision and this whole debate would change.

ARTHUR BISTLINE

Sandpoint