Published in The News Tribune November 14, 2010

Bolstered by the election, Republicans are now renewing their commitment to repeal Obama’s health care reform act.  The government’s “takeover of health care” was a bad idea, they say.   Courts in the meantime are reviewing the Act’s constitutionality, with many arguing that the federal government cannot legally mandate insurance. 

Not being a constitutional scholar, I’ll take a pass on this legal challenge and instead say why mandating insurance is exactly what the federal government should be doing. 

Aside from a moral argument that everyone should have health insurance, the reason for mandating insurance is that without universal coverage, the health insurance market is unacceptably wasteful and unfair. Continue reading →