The Case for the Individual Mandate in Health Care Reform
Until all Americans have access to health insurance in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act, 50 million people lack health insurance. Before the legislation is fully phased in, Americans can be charged higher premiums when they are sick, and adults can be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Oftentimes, all it takes is one illness or injury to send a family into bankruptcy. Illness or medical bills cause 62 percent of all personal bankruptcies, and a significant portion of medically bankrupted families lacked health insurance or experienced a recent lapse in coverage.
In short, health insurance does not provide security to those who need it the most.
Moreover, caring for the uninsured when they show up at emergency rooms exacts high costs on our society. The uninsured still receive health care—much of which is not paid for—at a cost of $57.4 billion in 2008, the last year for which data is available. That uncompensated care is paid for by taxpayers through public programs, by health care providers through lost profits, and by providers shifting costs to private insurers. In turn, private insurers may increase premiums. According to one estimate this cost shifting increases family premiums by more than $1,000 per year on average.
While the uninsured still receive health care, they use much fewer health care services and do not receive all of the health care they need, which harms their health. The poorer health and shorter lifespans of the uninsured are estimated to cost the economy $207 billion a year.
Those who do have health insurance are at risk of losing it if they lose their job. Moreover, this risk may discourage employees from starting their own business or moving to a job in which they would be more productive—causing so-called “job lock.”
All of these problems have plagued the health care system for decades. If we want to solve them—but continue to rely on private health insurance markets—then the most effective solution involves a requirement to maintain health insurance coverage, known as an “individual mandate.” That is the approach taken by the national health reform legislation signed into law in 2010, the Affordable Care Act.
In this report we will examine why the individual mandate is an essential pillar of comprehensive health care reform.
In states that tried market reforms without a mandate, premiums increased significantly and enrollment declined. By contrast, the Massachusetts health reform law enacted in 2006 included a mandate with the result that coverage is now near universal. Independent analyses of the Affordable Care Act indicate that the mandate will be instrumental in achieving near-univer- sal coverage, and that it will reduce premiums. Significantly, there is no evidence that any alternatives to the mandate would be nearly as effective.
Stop.....
Yes, Massachusetts has this policy. Now, what is the reality?
Health insurance premiums after the MassHealth system was imposed, were more than double the national average, and almost 40% higher than the next highest state.
MassHealth did not reduce insurance premiums. It did however, lower the quality of care. Wait times for health care in MassHealth is terrible.
The time people spending waiting in Massachusetts, is more than double than anywhere else in the entire country.
If Obama Care is ever enacted exactly like MassHealth, the left can praise themselves for successfully screwing over the entire country.
The 'left' wanted single payer are at least a public option. But America is infested with fear filled right wing ideologues who worship what they falsely believe is a free market, when in fact it is a 'FEE" market.
The individual mandate was created by the right wing Heritage Foundation to address the "free rider' problem.
Conservatives have ZERO solutions, just scorn for what they once praised....
It's non-answers like this, that cause right-wingers to think the left is ignorant and stupid.
What did you just say, that had anything to do with the topic? Nothing.
The prior poster claimed that Obama Care was good, because it was based on MassHealth in Massachusetts. Yet MassHealth, a "Universal Coverage" health care system, backed by the State Government.... has the highest premiums in the entire US, *AND* has the worst care in the entire US.
Nothing..... *NOTHING*.....
NOT ONE THING... you said, changes any of that.
Obama Care is a failure, because it was based on MassHealth which is a failure.
Now, you want to talk about solutions? Ok.... let's talk about solutions.
When people try and escape their crap awful socialized single payer health care systems in Canada, and UK, and France.... where do they go? They go to Singapore, or India, or similar... right... but specifically, what hospitals do they go to? The government regulated hospitals?
No, read up medical tourism. They go to the private, non-regulated, non-controlled, non-government, free-market capitalist based hospitals. Competition, in a un-regulated free-market system, keeps prices low, and quality high.
If we had that here.... we would have the same result.
The problem is, we have regulations out the wazoo. Further, we increase the cost of health in our country, with bad government programs.
You want to know why health care costs are spiking up constantly? It real simple.... (psst: Secret here) Medicare / Medicaid... doesn't cover the full cost of care. Hospitals have to charge private patients a higher price, to cover the loss of government patients. It's called "cost shifting"
See... as the cost of care exceeds the payouts by Medicare and Medicaid, the hospital can't just ignore that.... they'll go out of business, and then no one get's any care.
So instead, they charge *YOU* more money, to off set the loss caused by government.
Of course most of that cost is passed onto the insurance companies, and then of course the insurance companies have to pass that cost on in higher premiums.... and then some brainless idiot leftist twit starts screaming about insurance premiums, and demands me need more Medicare and Medicaid... too plain stupid to realize that they are in fact demanding their own premiums go up even more, to cover the greater loss from Medicare and Medicaid on hospitals.
Dude.... Look in the mirror. There's the problem.
And lastly, about the "FEE".....
Free-market doesn't mean free of cost. We never suggested that it did, nor should it.
We on the right, are not greedy, and envious, and think we should get stuff from others, for nothing.
We WANT to pay for what we have. Hello.... I work for living. I pay for everything I have. That's the way it should be.
And honestly, there is not other system. You guys look at the UK, and it's "free health care", and are not looking at the everything else. You realize that the AVERAGE citizen in the UK, pays over 50% of their income in taxes? Nothing is free.
And when you try to NOT raise taxes, and simply pay people less money, you end up with people pulling their own teeth out, because no dentist in the UK will work for the government system.
Dentist shortage 'forces more people to go to casualty with tooth problems' | Society | theguardian.com
More than 22,000 people had to be admitted to hospital for emergency dental treatment last year, according to figures obtained by the Conservatives.
22,000 people ended up in the HOSPITAL..... for a tooth ache.
FREE HEALTH CARE!! YAY!!! ... Er... no dentists.....
Brits resort to pulling own teeth - CNN.com
Some English people have resorted to pulling out their own teeth because they cannot find -- or cannot afford -- a dentist, a major study has revealed.
So you tax away 50% of their income, and yet they still can't find a government dentist, but now because 50% of their income is gone, they can't afford a private dentist either.
Welcome to socialized health care! Leftist are brilliant! I can't wait until US citizens are pulling their own teeth too!
