HEWITT: Because “mandates” at the state level have never been unacceptable and still aren’t unacceptable except to a handful of libertarian purists. We accept the mandate that children must be educated, if not in public schools then in private schools or at home. We accept vaccine mandates. We accept car-insurance mandates. We accept smog-emission mandates. States have the “police power” that the Constitution withheld from the federal government."
This is right on the constitutional question. But there's a principled distinction between mandating vaccines, smog emissions and car insurance (and arguable education). These things are mandated to eliminate negative externalities--costs imposed by an actor that he does not have to bear. In the case of health insurance (ed. note: not liability insurance), its the uninsured who suffers for his lack of coverage, unless you count costs imposed on the rest of us because of laws requiring hospitals to provide services. But the point is health insurance is not, in an of itself, a public good.
NOTE: I edited my commentary slightly for clarity.
1 comment:
I like that.
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