Here’s is my primary problem with nationalized health care:

It forces me to pay for other people’s bad heath, bad diet, and bad lifestyle decisions.

Thus, I unwillingly become involved in other people’s behavior and thoughts, which I don’t want to do.

Over 50% (and probably way over that) of “health problems” in this country are not due to unavoidable genetic or environmental influences, but rather due to entirely preventable consequences of people’s ill-considered behavior.

Main culprit: Bad diet, which leads to all sort of known problems, including (but not limited to) obesity, diabetes, clogged arteries, heart attacks, strokes, lowered immune system, kidney damage, deficiency syndromes, etc. etc. etc.

Another culprit: Abuse of legal recreational intooxicants, primarily tobacco and alcohol, which lead to a whole litany of well-known problems, including cancer, liver failure, emphysema, car accidents, yadda yadda yadda.

More: Abuse of illegal drugs, which leads to AIDS, dental problems, psychological problems, dependency, and putting oneself in harm’s way, etc. etc.

And: Risky behavior, criminal behavior, stupid behavior, with innumerable unpretty consequences.

And more: Promiscuity, leading to a litany of STDs.

And: lack of exercise, being a bozo, playing with guns, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. …

All these things combined are the cause of much of our health care expenses.

Yes, there are the unavoidables: genetic illnesses, viruses caught in crowds, inescapable accidents, and so on. But I once saw that preventable medical distress is over half our of problem.

And yet: I will be financially liable for other people’s bad decisions/habits/behavior.

If I choose to lead a healthy and safe life (which I do), then I can minimize my health expenditures (which I do) because I only need rudimentary catastroohic coverage which costs comparatively little; beyond that, I have sub-minimal out-of-pocket expenses. I can choose the least expensive heath-care option, as a benefit of trying and succeeding at staying healthy.

But if we’re all in one big plan together, then I must pay — through my taxes — for the average of everyone else’s costs. Because nationalized health care is funded by the govt which is funded by me (and you).

A close analogy is this:

I go to a restaurant with a group of friends. We all agree to share the bill. I order one beer and a side of french fries. Everyone else order margaritas, steaks, lobster, and fancy desserts. When the check comes, I’ve got to fork out $50 as my share of the tab, even though I in no way came close to getting $50 worth of food and drink.

That’s nationalized health care on a micro scale.

But what’s most disturbing of all is that, because I am now conscious that I am paying for everyone else’s bad health, I suddenly become allowed/conscious/compelled to meddle in other people’s behavior. Which, frankly, I don’t want to do. I want to “live and let live.” But under nationalized health care, if I see an obese mother feeding her obese 4-year-old a bunch of sugary greasy fast food, I will feel compelled to (and in a sense I would have the right to) say to her, “Hey lady, I’ll be paying for your kid’s diabetes complications for the rest of his short life. Stop that!” I’ll walk down the street slapping cigarettes out of people’s hands, because I don’t want to subsidize their cancer treatments later. And so on and so on. And they’ll have the right to boss me around and criticize me for my bad behavior.

I don’t want to live in that kind of society! I want people to be free to be stupid if they want - - as long as it’s their responsibility to deal with the consequences.

Nationalized health care inevitably leads to a nanny-state society. Count me out.