Health Insurance

Republicans supported health insurance mandates?

Although Democrats favor an individual mandate as part of health reform, Merrill Goozner notes that a Republican Congress passed a “voluntary” Medicare Part D drug program with its own mandate.  The program charges one percentage point increase in the premium for every year the senior stays out of the program.  This lead Goozner to conclude the following:

  • Republicans back mandates that charge higher prices later as the penalty, while Democrats prefer mandates that charge penalties up front.

4 Comments

  1. In the name of getting votes, politicians are disingenuous.

    Stop the presses.

  2. And I believe its clear (and many Republicans now admit it) we didn’t have the money. Because “they did it” isn’t a great reason as to why “we should do it”.

  3. Sorry, Goozner is trying too hard here. To try to equate the premium structure of Part D with a mandate stretches the definition of “mandate” beyond all recognition. Many insurance mechanisms charge higher premium rates for those who wait and purchase later in life. Long term care insurance and life insurance are among these. Even airline tickets usually cost more closer to the date of departure. However, nobody considers these mechanisms as mandatory since the purchase is a choice. Same with Part D, the purchase is a choice; one is free to NOT purchase.

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