Insuring the dead

So, Mike Huckabee says that people with preexisting conditions should be denied health insurance. (watch it here)

"It sounds so good, and it's such a warm message to say we're not gonna deny anyone from a preexisting condition," Huckabee explained at the Value Voters Summit today. "Look, I think that sounds terrific, but I want to ask you something from a common sense perspective. Suppose we applied that principle [to] our property insurance. And you can call your insurance agent and say, "I'd like to buy some insurance for my house." He'd say, "Tell me about your house." "Well sir, it burned down yesterday, but I'd like to insure it today." And he'll say "I'm sorry, but we can't insure it after it's already burned." Well, no preexisting conditions."

Look. That's just ... I mean, good grief.

1. Point the first, Huck: the "already burned down" house? That's a dead person, not one with a preexisting condition. Who says insurers have to insure dead people?
   
2. Point the second: your caller has a house with damage or bad plumbing or something. He can absolutely buy property insurance, and you know it. They'll charge him more or cover him for less, but he can buy it.
   
3. Point the third: you've just said that someone with diabetes should die for lack of insurance if they get hit by a car.
   

Wow. Just wow. That's ... modern conservatism, I guess.

To be fair, except for his (because I don't think he's that stupid) deliberately wrong analogy, he kind of has a point. The point being that insurance company profits are more important that sick people's health care.

And that is modern conservatism.