Krugman Supports a Mandate

[liberalpragmatist]

Remember how this was one of the things he ripped Obama for not including in his health reform plan? Especially when both Hillary and Edwards had individual mandates in their plans?

Every universal health care system has individual mandates of some sort. In single-payer systems, everyone pays a tax into the system. But in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, people are mandated to purchase insurance and pay premiums for them in most cases.

Without a mandate, none of the insurance regulations work. You can't have community-rating, or guaranteed issue, and NOT have prices spiral out of control unless everyone is buying in. Otherwise healthy people can opt out and because the remaining risk pool is sicker, the cost of insuring them goes up for everybody else.

Don't believe me? Read Krugman:

The central question is whether there should be a health insurance “mandate” — a requirement that everyone sign up for health insurance, even if they don’t think they need it. The Edwards and Clinton plans have mandates; the Obama plan has one for children, but not for adults.

Why have a mandate? The whole point of a universal health insurance system is that everyone pays in, even if they’re currently healthy, and in return everyone has insurance coverage if and when they need it.

And it’s not just a matter of principle. As a practical matter, letting people opt out if they don’t feel like buying insurance would make insurance substantially more expensive for everyone else.

Here’s why: under the Obama plan, as it now stands, healthy people could choose not to buy insurance — then sign up for it if they developed health problems later. Insurance companies couldn’t turn them away, because Mr. Obama’s plan, like those of his rivals, requires that insurers offer the same policy to everyone.

Why won't insurance companies price gouge? Well, the experience of Massachusetts has insurance premiums in the individual market having gone down since the mandate went into effect. (Yes, the Massachusetts plan doesn't have strong enough cost controls and the price isn't as low as it should be - but it has not lead to higher premiums in the individual market as people assert.) Moreover, the bills require that 90% of insurance company premiums go towards care.

How do people expect the insurance regulations to work without everyone buying in? I'm all ears.

[Cha]

1. Ooooops.

[iamjoy]

2. Well, I Agree with Mandates

I support the concept of mandates and don't understand how any one can realistically expect to have the option to wait until one is sick to buy coverage.

Of course, a mandate without a public option and strict controls on the insurance companies amounts to forcing people to turn their money over to crooks.

[Captain Hilts]

7. BINGO. nt

[Inuca]

3. Make room for him under the bus

It's quite a party down there! But he should hurry, it's getting crowded.

[girl gone mad]

19. He was thrown under the Hope Mobile ages ago.

and run over several times. I guess now he's back on the bus?

Why do you guys always get this metaphor mixed up?

[Captain Hilts]

4. I also support a mandate. But the circumstances in which one exists are VERY important.

For example, a public option, if only to provide competitive prices.

[Citizen Kang]

5. OK But

In countries where there is a mandate, the insurance companies are very tightly regulated. There are no such regulations in this Senate bill.

Regulate the industry to the same standard as Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, then we'll talk about a mandate.

[readmoreoften]

17. Exactly. There's no ability to REGULATE insurers here. There'd be revolution in other countries.

Hell, there might be revolution here.

[SIMPLYB1980]

6. KRUGMAN !!!!11!!

[PBS Poll-435]

20. My thoughts exactly

:rofl:

[TheWraith]

8. Get under the bus, Krugman! Don't you know reasonable people can't disagree?!

Personally I'm against mandates, but the fact that they're in there does not equate to "Obama corporate whore!!111one" or whatever crap some people around here are spewing.

[Cant trust em]

9. Mr. Krugman makes a lot of sense to me.

[Clio the Leo]

10. ALWAYS one of my favorite economists...

... that Krugman. :)

[Pirate Smile]

29. LOL

:D

[Ozymanithrax]

11. I support mandates...and same sex marriage for that matter.

I think the only people who can opt out are the dead. They don't need Health Insurance or dates.

[patrice]

12. The problem is mandate AND no competition for HCInsCos

[DJ13]

13. I have always supported mandates through the income tax

You know, a tax that is based on wages earned, one that costs those making the least the least money.

But a personal mandate as the present bills have is not something I can support.

[nightrain]

14. the mandated care needs to be affordable. What is proposed is NOT affordable.

It simply transfers money from regular people to the insurance corps. Dumb move.

[BlueIdaho]

15. Mandates probably work

When you are dealing with government regulated non-profit health insurance companies.

[provis99]

16. Krugman just flat out lied about Mass increases

In Massachusetts, health insurance premiums have gone up an average 10% per year since 2006 when the mandate came into effect; this is TWICE the national average. Screw you, Krugman.

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. As I said elsewhere, they want universal health care without the universal part

I was told they don't want to "pay shitstain criminals" or something equally eloquent. These people wonder why they can't garner more than 8% of the vote for their candidates.

[girl gone mad]

21. The majority opposes mandates.

Te majority opposes the bill. Not just "8%"

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. That's fantastic

Now tell me how progressives, who key strength seems to be the variety of ways they have of insulting the electorate, gets more than 8% of the vote, even with this huge margin.

[girl gone mad]

27. It's so-called "centrists" who are insulting the electorate..

by trying to push through another corporate subsidy bill that nobody supports.

Progressives stand in unison with electorate. Against mandated private health insurance with no public option and no medicare buy-ins. That is presently a majority position, not minority, position.

[alcibiades_mystery]

28. That's fantastic

Perhaps you can run a progressive who can garner more than 8% of the national vote next time and all our problems will be solved. Run Dean, for instance. I hear he won the state of Vermont last time he went for it.

[girl gone mad]

31. You can keep repeating the "8%" mantra until the cows come home.

It won't change the fact that the liberal position is the majority position on health reform, and almost no one supports the supposedly "centrist" corporate welfare bill.

[alcibiades_mystery]

32. That's likely true

Which makes it even weirder that liberals can't win more than 8% in a national election. Perhaps it's because folks like you are so rhetorically inept that you alienate everyone you come into contact with, electorally speaking.

[eridani]

30. What is it that you fail to understand about "Insurance is not CARE"?

Forcing us to deal with mass murderers who pay people bonuses for turning down claims does not get us health care. If the mandate were to pay the government $125/month, as proposed in HR 676, which would go to actual CARE, that would be an entirely different matter.

[LooseWilly]

23. "Published: November 30, 2007"... in '07 there was a public option too.

Put the public option back in, and I'll tolerate a mandate. Hell, put the public option in, and make it efficient and affordable, and you probably won't even need the mandate.

Where did I hear that before?...

Ohh right, Obama's campaign speeches.

[mcablue]

24. This is the oldest breaking news I've seen

Of course Krugman supports a mandate. He supported a mandate back in the days when Obama opposed a mandate and his supporters criticized Krugman and praised the lack of mandate.

[xchrom]

25. Does this mean krugman is back on the good foot?my

[Moochy]

26. For his stance on this issue, he gets a 15 minute break from under the bus

...but as soon as he finishes his juice box he's got to get back under there.