..." If it isn't free, and it isn't optional, it's extortion...."



                   You mean like any other tax?


No, that's precisely why I included the following in my second paragraph:

"...that's not to say exercising rights carries no financial costs, but those costs are paid through taxes, which all governments have an undeniable right to levy."

To return to the example of voting being a right, voting is far from free. It costs a lot of money to run an election, and each of us pays our share. But that money is paid to the government in the form of taxes, not in the form of a direct charge for the right to vote. And since taxes are based upon how much one earns (income tax), how much one spends (sales tax), or how much one owns (property tax), those with the most money pay more toward financing the election than those who are barely scraping by.

The problem with requiring that people buy health insurance is that a health insurance policy to cover a rich man or a poor man both cost about the same amount, but one can afford the expense much more easily than the other. If health care is going to be a right, it should be publicly financed so the expense of running the program is shared proportionally. Otherwise, just leave it as a privilege and allow those of us who can't afford health insurance to die in peace.