Could Hawaii Prove Affordable Health Insurance Mandate Supporters Right?
One of the most controversial aspects of healthcare reform is the inclusion of an individual and employer health insurance mandate. Proponents of the mandate claim that it will help defray the increased cost of bringing millions of uninsured Americans into the fold. Affordable health insurance is most easily achieved when insurers are able to spread the cost of coverage among the largest pool possible. Without a mandate, there is the possibility that younger, healthier individuals will not buy insurance–leaving only the sickest individuals in most need of medical care insured. That will make the cost of coverage more expensive. Congress has provided for subsidies that seek to make health insurance policies more affordable, which serve as the carrot to motivate that demographic. However, the government also needs a stick: hence the mandates, which levy fines against individuals making over a certain annual income that refuse to buy insurance. Detractors believe that such mandates are u
