Health insurance companies were struggling because the only people who were buying insurance policies were rich, educated people who were smart enough to stay away from situations and things that would create health problems. Too many policy holders were practicing preventive medicine which usually only requires healthy decisions at no cost. These policy holders were not getting sick.
Some people had insurance but were getting sick from diseases that are inherited, but they bought policies from insurance companies that didn't cover those conditions. Other people were just smart enough to know that buying insurance is gambling and so didn't buy any insurance.
In the boardroom of a large unnamed organization of health insurance companies, the board members were slumped and swiveling around in their chairs staring at the ceiling. One CFO was reading Twitter and scrolled down to a tweet posted by Move-On.org which was telling everyone to sign a petition promoting Single-Payer health care reform.
The CFO grumbled "Looks like we gotta get more petition signatures for our side and send more cash to Congress. This health care reform act is gonna socialize medicine and put us out of business!"
Another member turned toward the CFO and said "what if we got Congress to change the law to make our role in health care permanent? The Republicans would surely all vote our way no matter what, so how can we make them look good and us richer by them voting in favor of the reform? What can we do?"
A man at the head of the conference table sat up, put his elbows on the table and folded his hands with his index fingers pointing up. This signaled for the undivided attention of everyone in the room who stopped swiveling and looked unblinking toward the head of the table.
"In the history of this country, the federal government has never forced its people to pay for a private service or product. Right now most people believe that health care reform means getting the same kind of health care that Congress and the Senate members receive, basically a tax funded system. Some people believe that everyone will suddenly become eligible for Medicare or Medicaid."
The CFO snapped his chair upright and said "So we get our politicians to make it mandatory for the public to buy insurance!? That would keep health care private and we still have the option to deny services, brilliant! We will be richer than ever!"
Another voice at the table spouted "And we have the Bush Supreme Court to back it up!"
With that everyone applauded and began texting their politicians and lobbyists.
In the end, more Americans were sent to prison because they couldn't afford to buy insurance and couldn't afford to pay the penalty for not buying insurance. The disposable income that might have gone to supporting local businesses was funneled into the hands of the insurance industry. Bars, restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, convention centers and sports arenas all suffered from the Heath Care Mandate.
Several people independently concluded that the Health Care Mandate should be considered a direct threat to one's life. Those people took the lives of the first people who contacted them with threats of making them pay a fine for not buying the insurance. Other people simply took their frustrations out on the nearest IRS office because they finally had had enough.
The End.
