Protests Against Universal Health Care

There are protesters in my neighborhood that show up with signs to stand outside the senator's office and loudly demand the government stay out of personal health care. They want their individual right to choose who, how, when how much... I get it.

What I find frustrating isn't their objection to universal health care. To be honest, their plea resonates with me in many ways. I too prefer less government involvement in general. The protesters, though, don't seem to have reasonable alternatives.

I hear things like "when people lose their insurance, they should just buy individual insurance". But most people losing their insurance are losing it because they lost their job. They are either unemployed or have had to accept a lower paying job while they find a better solution. Who chooses to pay hundreds of dollars to a policy when they have basic needs to tend to--like a roof, food, and a car in a city with horrendous public transportation.

As I see it, we already have a sort of universal health care. A person loses their job, gets sick... and shows up in the E.R. to tend to the common cold. Why? The E.R. can't turn them away. They get medical attention whether they pay or not, or we end up with epidemics. And that bill? Doctors, nurses, property owners and the like still have to get paid. So we pay them... with public money.

It makes sense to me to streamline the process, give everyone the basics so a $600 dollar visit to the E.R. shrinks to $100 or even $50. As far as I know, no one is talking about taking away private insurance. There will still be plans out there that will cover extra nights at the hospital, laughing gas at the dentist, and chiropractic adjustments.

We can save money, get the basics covered, and still have private options.
So what's the fuss about?