In the make-belief world of the current administration, supercilious comparisons are made to justify its proposed programs which have no basis whatsoever in reality. Fallacies abound and seem logical to the unsuspecting. One clear example is the justification for an individual mandate for health care. “Just like compulsory auto-insurance is mandatory, so also for health care”. Yeah, that seems like a straightforward and reasonable justification.
It goes a step further. An auto accident could cause damage to another person who probably does not bear any responsibility for it. Such a person needs compensation for the harm caused to him. The person who caused the accident will be able to pay only if he or she has an insurance plan. Similarly, the administration argues, everyone needs to have a health insurance plan to pay for their care rather than end up in an emergency room where they cannot be denied care. That society would otherwise pay for their care.
First, the individual mandate for auto-insurance does not require drivers to pay for comprehensive insurance. They only need to pay for the minimum level of liability coverage. The individual mandate for health insurance, proposed in the conceptual plans, are required to meet the standards of coverage that the Government requires each person to have which would now include pre-existing conditions. The comparable auto-insurance would include not only comprehensive coverage but also costs of repair and maintenance including oil change!
Just like a person whose auto-liability insurance includes only the minimum coverage will have to pay out-of-pocket for any amount in excess of it, the individual mandate can at the most require a minimum level of health coverage.
A more efficient alternative to individual mandate is health savings plans. For those with very low incomes, the government could provide vouchers to fund the accounts. This would be akin to earned income credits. For emergency care, the expense could be paid over an extended period of time to cover the deductibles. The rest would be covered from the insurance plan.
US Controversies and Big Ideas 2008 and Beyond 