Sunday, April 16, 2006

Compulsory health insurance

Something quite sensational is happening in Massachussets. The government has passed a law to make health insurance compulsory. Those who fail to buy insurance by July 2007 will be fined. For those below a certain level of income the govt will subsidise policies. This is highly controversial with some taking the view that getting the govt out of health care is the only way to go - it is afterall govt interference which pushed the cost of health insurance out of many people's reach. If the insurer's fail to respond to this move by lowering premiums the cost to the taxpayer will blow out. I confess to being rather confused about this issue (still seems like socialised health) but a couple of American readers may be able to shed some light.

The Libertarian argument."The arrogance of elected government officials never ceases. However, in a welfare-state society like that of the United States, one cannot expect anything less. The Massachusetts Legislature approved a bill last week that would force all residents of the state of Massachusetts to purchase health insurance. If they do not, then they will be forced to pay a fine, and if they do not pay the fine, they will be dragged off to jail for breaking the law."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have yet to read much on it but saw one commentary that basically noted that the average citizen of the state spends a few thousand per year on health care. The govt. promises a program where they buy that coverage for a couple of hundred per year. You do the math. It appears to be promising thousands of dollars worth of care for a couple of hundred and no govt. has figured out how to do that.