Thanks Chuckles8 for finding this. I'm starting to follow my own advice by not pushing up threads of those who are clearly trolls.
George Washington required maritime sailors (civilians) to buy health insurance from a third party.
Actually it was to purchase insurance from the government... funded by a tax on a seamen's wages.
I've posted, perhaps here, that Madison was trying to get federal funding for hospitals for disabled seamen as early as 1791. This must have been the effort to fund those hospitals... that is if Madison's proposal ever passed.
Text of act: http://www.scribd.com/doc/29099806/Act-for-the-Relief-of-Sick-DisabledSeamen-July-1798
Comments
chuckle8 is wrong, frankly you should already know that.
chuckle8 is wrong, frankly you should already know that.
Do note, I did not say this act forces citizens to pay a third party. I haven't fully researched it. But it's clearly a redistribution of wealth to serve a social purpose.... you know... that troublesome General Welfare clause you righties hate so much.
What that act said and did was take a small percentage out of the workers pay and save it till he needed to go to the doctor at which time they gave him back his money so he could pay the doctor.
People that did not work on the docks did not get the plan and did not get the money.
And you're leaving out the part about using the surplus to construct hospitals. #4 of
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29099806/Act-for-the-Relief-of-Sick-DisabledSeamen-July-1798
There are two issues here... whether it was a government effort to provide health insurance, and whether the early Congress ever mandated a citizen purchase something from a third party. Combined, they seem to negate the criticisms of Obamacare.. since they both are legal precedents. The mandate to buy happened with The Militia Acts of 1792 mandated that all militia members arm themselves.
http://www.constitution.org/mil/mil_act_1792.htm
chirp chirp chirp...
The military act was in direct association with the second amendent. It was setting up the regulations for the militia.
The health insurance or savings account was set up for those working in the sea shipping industry. It would be like the feds saying the dock workers at the port have to havd insurance and they used the extra money to build a hospital for the sea port workers.
If you want to impliment something like that what are you going to do with the unemployed people and thosd who pay no taxes? Niether are eligible under the plan to medical care.
One other point of reference ports back then were government controlled si on government land property they csn dictate the terms you wirk under so obama care is fine for government employees and contractors un constitutional for everyone else.
@Pierpoint From your first source: "When a sick or injured sailor needed medical assistance, the government would confirm that his payments had been collected and turned over by his employer and would then give the sailor a voucher entitling him to admission to the hospital where he would be treated for whatever ailed him."
I wonder if it was an open-ended voucher? If it was for a fixed sum i.e. (the taxes collected) where sailors who contracted long term illnesses released when the funds ran out? This appears to me to be, for the most part, a specific tax on a specific class to be collected AND spent in a specific location not an exercise of "general welfare" through insurance.
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.......
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
@Pierpoint From your first source: "When a sick or injured sailor needed medical assistance, the government would confirm that his payments had been collected and turned over by his employer and would then give the sailor a voucher entitling him to admission to the hospital where he would be treated for whatever ailed him."