Mandatory Coverage Is Easier Said Than Done

June 12, 2007

IT’S a seemingly simple solution to a nationwide problem: if people do not have health insurance, just require that they buy it. The idea of making coverage compulsory to help reduce the number of uninsured Americans — currently 45 million — is gaining momentum. With a law passed last year, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate coverage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has supported the idea, proposing that his state do the same. In Illinois, mandatory health insurance has become part of a broader discussion of health reform. (New York Times)