Saturday, October 24, 2009

HEALTH INSURANCE MANDATES

Mandates do not drive down premiums.

In Massachusetts, they’ve had the opposite effect. After the enactment of Commonwealth Care in 2006, every provider group — from the fertility doctors to the substance-abuse counselors — persuaded the health-care officials that no plan would be “comprehensive” without their services. The result? Cheap insurance isn’t just hard to come by in the Bay State — it’s illegal.
I would note that I just got notified by my company of a new Federal mandate (the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008) that will almost certainly drive up my health insurance premiums next year.

Here’s a thought: non-comprehensive health insurance. Why not let me select which benefits I’m willing to pay for?

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