First off, the NHS system is far different from the ACA in the US. So to equate the fears of one system to another is simply apples vs oranges.
Second, the free bit which is straining the system is from tourists and immigrants who do not pay into the system.
The ACA is about requiring insurance while the NHS is purely free health care. Nothing in the ACA is free; you are required to carry insurance.
The drain in the US comes from people without insurance and people who come to our country without it; both categories without the means to pay for services. This jacks up the rate for all the other responsible people with insurance and those who pay out of pocket. The rates of health care costs are borne mostly on those with insurance.
Cars being insured for damages against uninsured motorists is a law because of the high price responsible drivers pay when they are hit by uninsured motorists. Why should the ACA be thought of any differently?
Slashdot Mirror
First off, the NHS system is far different from the ACA in the US. So to equate the fears of one system to another is simply apples vs oranges. Second, the free bit which is straining the system is from tourists and immigrants who do not pay into the system. The ACA is about requiring insurance while the NHS is purely free health care. Nothing in the ACA is free; you are required to carry insurance. The drain in the US comes from people without insurance and people who come to our country without it; both categories without the means to pay for services. This jacks up the rate for all the other responsible people with insurance and those who pay out of pocket. The rates of health care costs are borne mostly on those with insurance. Cars being insured for damages against uninsured motorists is a law because of the high price responsible drivers pay when they are hit by uninsured motorists. Why should the ACA be thought of any differently?