Week 11 Response - Should the US Force Everyone to have Healthcare?

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This post is in response to the question "In your opinion should the US force everyone to have healthcare?" posed by @hattiehughs14

Should the US force everyone to have healthcare? The short answer, in my opinion, is no. The longer answer is also no because forcing everyone to have healthcare is ridiculous for a variety of different reasons, such as differences in personal health and difference in risk tolerance.

The argument against having everyone be required to have healthcare can be put into a simple, logical analogy. Suppose you are an extremely athletic swimmer, and you are with your small kids in a pool, maybe 4 feet deep. It would make sense for the kids to wear life vests due to them being small, and maybe they do not know how to swim/are very new to swimming. In essence, they are at a high risk of drowning, therefore they are protected by the life vest. It would make no sense however for the athletic swimmer to wear a life vest because the chances of them drowning are essentially zero, due to them being a great swimmer and the pool being only 4 feet deep. The same can be said for healthcare. It makes sense for an older person with a health condition to have healthcare because they are at high risk for a major injury that would cost a lot of money. It does not make sense for a healthy, fit 23-year-old person to fork over hundreds of dollars for coverage against a major health problem that would most likely not happen to them.

Another argument can be made based on what an individual's risk tolerance is. Some people are more willing to take the risk that they could end up paying thousands of dollars in medical bills for the extra money in their pocket every month, whereas others would rather be protected against that risk. There is no problem in the latter scenario, but people with a higher risk tolerance should not be penalized and forced into a program that they do not want to participate in.

Overall, US citizens should not be required to have healthcare due to variating risk tolerance as well as differences in personal wellbeing.