Building the Healthcare Business
George C. Halvorson, CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals wants to force you to buy healthcare. He doesn't care if you want healthcare or if you think you need healthcare.
"Anything short of an absolute single-payer system requires an individual mandate. If you don't have that, then people will make decisions about coverage that will result in far less than universal coverage."
"Individual mandate": code words meaning that the government will force you buy healthcare and fine you if you don't. "Far less than universal coverage": people might otherwise choose not to purchase health insurance.
The comments were made while Mr. Halvorson was discussing European style healthcare. Several European countries allow private insurerers to sell healthcare, requiring only that every citizen purchase a health insurance plan. This is the model of healthcare "reform" that Mr. Halvorson favors. I can understand why he would be in favor of "individual mandates" -- he heads up an organization that makes quite a good profit selling health insurance. I'm sure Kaiser would earn even higher profits if more people bought health insurance. On the other hand, no one should be forced by their government to make a private company richer.
Individual mandates: just say no.
This entry was tagged. Nanny State Socialism Taxes