Should Health Insurance Be Required?

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You're Saying I Have No Choice...

The debate is on. On one side you have government regulators who insist all Americans be offered affordable health insurance. On the other side you have the insurers who insist every American be required to purchase health insurance.

In the middle, of course, are the 46 million Americans who have no say in the argument -- the 46 million Americans who currently have no health insurance coverage.

Health insurance is a hot topic, with the Obama administration insisting reforms take place in the near term. On this point, at least, the insurers are in full agreement. Reform is necessary and it must occur quickly. But beyond that it gets a bit trickier.

Administration reformers want to eliminate an insurer’s ability to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions. But, say insurers, to do so will send costs through the roof. The only way to absorb the cost, they say, is to impose an individual health insurance coverage mandate: a requirement that every individual in the United States purchase some form of health insurance coverage.

It's hard to say how this will play out, but the need is obvious. Health insurance costs continue to soar, with premiums increasing eight times faster than incomes over the past fifteen years.

So, stay tuned. The health of the nation is at stake.

To read more about the debate, see this from Reuters. To learn more about health insurance issues and coverage, see this from USA.gov.