The Case Against Individual Mandates
Conn Carroll /
Health insurance companies are for it. Ted Kennedy is for it. Nancy Pelosi is for it. Even some Republicans are supportive. What is “it”? “It” is a proposed requirement that would force every American to buy health insurance or face some type of fine or other punishment. “It” is more commonly known as the individual mandate, and “it” is terrible public policy.
1. Individual Mandates are an Unprecedented Violation of Individual Liberty – According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a federal individual mandate for health insurance would be unique and unprecedented because it would “impose a duty on individuals as members of society” and would “require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated” by the government. CBO determined that among all of the federal rules, the requirement that all young men register with Selective Service is the closest legal requirement to an individual mandate. According to President Barack Obama HHS nominee (more…)