social! society! so what?

The tobacco industry is about to falter. I live in a state where it seems like EVERYBODY smokes. Yet recently laws have been passed to raise the price of cigarettes to about $5.00 a pack. Then a smoking ban was imposed for all public places, including bars and restaurants. It appears to me that either the tobacco industry isn’t paying it’s dues in the lobby of Congress, or the insurance companies are lathering the hands of politicians to pass more laws against smoking. After all, insurance companies pay through the teeth when people who inhale through the teeth end up in a hospital bed at the end of their dear lives.
The question is this: Why do we Americans allow insurance companies to enjoy such wealth that they can change the laws of this country without our approval? Insurance is right next to real estate when it comes to getting filthy rich. We as Americans appreciate the value of knowing that in the event of an emergency, we will not have to foot the extravagant bill to put all the pieces back together. To know that in the unfortunate accident, we will not have to spend our assets to pay for damage repairs or hospital bills. I have no problem with that, I embrace it. Here’s where the situation gets tricky.
There are laws stating that we must get insurance under certain circumstances. Such as when you register a vehicle to use on the public roads. It is a very smart thing to have, because you never know when you might have an accident, especially one that is caused by situations out of anyone’s control. It is almost common knowledge that money can change the minds of many congressman, yet we allow the congressman to vote for laws insisting on the patronage of insurance companies. If insurance is such a public issue that laws must be passed to force you to purchase it, why are insurance companies a private entity? Insurance companies have as much money as they do because the law supports them at all turns and angles. The law forces you to have it, then the law allows them to deny valid claims on the insured’s first attempt. Eventually if the insured pursues the matter, and it is found to be a valid claim, the insurance company pays the claim and no harm is done. But what if the insurance company had to pay a penalty for denying a claim that ultimately was found to be valid? I’m not proposing that insurance companies should not be allowed to investigate a claim. I am proposing that before a claim can be denied, an investigation should be carried out. If after the investigation, the insurance company wants to deny the claim, they have the right to do so. BUT…in the event that they deny the claim after investigation, and the claim is turned over to be investigated by another agency who finds the claim valid, the insurance company should be penalized.
This may be confusing to some of you, but my point is, insurance in general is a social necessity in this day and age. As such, it should not be a profitable organization. As long as it is a profitable organization it will not always protect the interests of it’s clients. However the purpose of insurance is to protect it’s clients. The billions of dollars that insurance moguls have received in profits could certainly pay for a national health care system, a national automobile insurance system and even give more money to the family of a deceased young man who can no longer provide for his family. If working and contributing to society are so important, why doesn’t society pay to keep people healthy? We have to use automobiles to contribute to society, why doesn’t society pay for our automobiles?
So much of our daily labor goes to support the man who is lavished with luxury, while he does nothing to support the majority of people to do society’s work. What makes him a better person than you? Does he work harder? Does he care more about his family? What is it that tells you that you are not as worthy as him? Maybe you aren’t as worthy as we believe he is. But certainly he isn’t any more worthy than you or I. If you let him believe that he is worth more than you, then yes…he is worth more than you.