4 ms·

I've heard this argument before, and I dislike the paternalism of it. I read the fine print and made tradeoffs that I thought were appropriate for my situation

• andrewvc 13y ago
  I agree that it has the feel of paternalism, but I think there's another way to look at it.I think, that all things considered, obamacare makes society as a whole a better place. Paternalism and consumer protections are two sides of the same coin. The fact is that without some protections, you could wind up signing your life away due to some sleazy fine print. Dealing with insurance companies is asymmetric warfare. There's an entire industry built around maximizing the profits it makes on customers. The surest way to boost profits is to make people think they're buying more protection than they are. Charge more for less. That's one of the many reasons consumer protections exist.
  • malandrew 13y ago
    This. I'm extremely good with legalese, regulations, fine print, etc. More so than 99% of my peers, even some that have law degrees, and I have spent a lot of time explaining all the ways in with a specific contract might be trying to screw them. Most people simply aren't equipped to make those decisions. In fact, I'd go farther to say that the overwhelming majority are ill-equipped. A comprehensive cost-benefits analysis is hard enough for most people without also requiring them to sift through impenetrable legalese to figure out what the costs really are and what benefits they will actually get.