The Fourth Post - Obamacare and personal choice

In researching the PPACA and its effects on the American people, I have had difficulty finding sources addressing the same issues. Supporters and detractors talk about different parts of the act, making it hard to synthesize opposing viewpoints. The issues are often so technical that they are hard to understand, and are even harder to synthesize because they use different, sometimes obscure facts.
               One success I have had is in finding plenty of data supporting either side of the issue. Depending on personal opinion, I think the facts easily lead someone to either supporting or opposing the bill. I have found myself supporting the bill because it allows for broader coverage of all individuals, especially people in need.
               Today I continue my investigation of the extent to which the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will benefit the American people.

            A hallmark of the American way of life is our right to freedom of choice. We all have the right to live how we want, as long as it doesn’t impede someone else’s right to do the same. Many people deride Obamacare because they say it infringes on that right. The Republican Party singles out the individual mandate as particularly threatening.

Individual Mandate

According to MichaelTanner, director of health and welfare studies at the Cato Institute, a think tank in Washington that promotes a philosophy of individual liberty and limited government,” an individual mandate crosses an important line: accepting the principle that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that every American has health insurance. In doing so, it opens the door to widespread regulation of the health care industry and political interference in personal health care decisions. The result will be a slow but steady spiral downward toward a government-run national health care system.” I wonder what makes Tanner so sure that a "spiral downward" is a guaranteed outcome? What in the PPACA gives the government the ability to interfere in personal healthcare decisions, aside from the individual mandate? I think this quote accurately sums up the Republican fear of the individual mandate. The idea of an individual mandate has some bipartisan support, but the Republican Party, and thus half of congressmen and women, feels it is a step with unsure footing.

I believe the individual mandate does not violate an individual’s right to freedom. Without it, a careless individual can make more responsible parties pay for their medical bills should they get injured or seriously ill. Thus one person’s right to choose not to pay for insurance infringes on someone else’s right not to pay unfairly.

Enforcement

Another issue with the Individual Mandate is enforcement. A reasonable analogy is the requirement of car insurance in 47 states. Although insurance is required, roughly 14.5 percent of drivers remain uninsured. Despite hefty fines, potential loss of license and even the impounding of vehicles, these drivers choose not to purchase insurance. Because of this many insured drivers buy uninsured motorist insurance, to protect themselves should an uninsured motorist cause an accident. In the same way, insured parties pay more for health care in an attempt to create a cushion for those who utilize emergency room services but are uninsured and cannot pay.

A notable difference between the two is that the IRS will collect information on health insurance under the PPACA, while no agency collects information on car insurance among citizens. Still, many reputable opinions I have found cite potential logistic trouble as a reason to avoid the individual Mandate.

Although some potential problems exist for an individual mandate, I believe it is necessary if our goal is to reduce health care costs and protect each and every United States Citizen.

           

Sources:

Tanner, Michael. "Individual Mandates for Health Insurance Slippery Slope to National Health Care." Policy Analysis 565 (2006): n. pag. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

Clemmitt, M. (2012, September 21). Assessing the new health care law. CQ Researcher, 22, 789-812. Retrieved from http://0-library.cqpress.com.catalog.poudrelibraries.org/cqresearcher/