Newt and the Mandate

On May 15, 2011 Newt Gingrich appeared on Meet the Press with David Gregory and stated, “I am against Obamacare,” but then contradicts himself stating he supports a mandate to purchase health insurance. Gingrich said, “I agree that all of us have a responsibility to pay--help pay for health care," and added, "I've said consistently we ought to have some requirement that you either have health insurance or you post a bond ..."

Gingrich also admitted that his proposal is a "variation" of the individual mandate, a key component of the Obamacare legislation President Obama signed into law in 2010. Gingrich’s mandate is better than Obama’s mandate because Obama’s plan basically is trying to replace the entire insurance system, creating state exchanges, building a Washington-based model, creating a federal system.

Newt went on to state, “There are an amazing amount of people who think they ought to be given healthcare. So, a large amount of people earning $75,000 a year don’t buy health insurance, because they want to buy a  second house or a better car or want to go on vacation and you and I and everybody else picking up for them. I don’t think having a free-rider system in health is any more appropriate than having a free ride in any other part of our society.”

David Gregory brought up the fact when Gingrich was on Meet the Press in October 1993, Gingrich said: “I am for people, individuals -- exactly like automobile insurance -- individuals having health insurance and being required to have health insurance. And I am prepared to vote for a voucher system which will give individuals, on a sliding scale, a government subsidy so we insure that everyone as individuals have health insurance.” Is Newt saying everyone now needs to purchase auto insurance, even those who do not have a car and do not
drive?

Newt Gingrich is concerned with people who have no health insurance showing up for treatment at a hospital. What is wrong with giving the people who receive treatment a bill for services? He did not mention that insurance companies have an extra charge in people’s health insurance premiums to cover people who do not have insurance. Will the insurance companies reduce their premiums then?

 There is a mandate that everyone who drives and has a vehicle need to purchase liability insurance. That insurance is to protect the other driver, not necessarily the owner of the insurance. Nevertheless, they may not have enough insurance, therefore the insurance companies offer underinsured insurance. However, you must purchase uninsured motorist coverage in order to get the underinsured coverage. Why is that? Could it be the insurance company wants to make more money off of the policy holders?   

There are people who claim an individual mandate to purchase health insurance is Constitutional and people should be forced to purchase health insurance, because sometime in everyone’s life they will need healthcare. People may or may not need healthcare throughout their life, however if they do receive treatment it is their responsibility to pay for their treatment.

Newt calls for an individual mandate, wherein people would be forced to purchase healthcare insurance or post a bond to cover possible future healthcare treatment. A mandate is a mandate, whether it is from the Federal Government or the States.

Those people who favor the mandate justify it saying sometime in everyone’s life they will need healthcare. People definitely have to eat. When people go to a restaurant they eat their meal and then pay for the food plus a tip for service. Therefore, using their logic should people be required to prepay for the food they will consume in the future? Of course not, the same should hold true for health insurance. Newt stated, “I don’t think having a free-rider system in health is any more appropriate than having a free ride in any other part of our society,” yet says he would issue vouchers to people who could not afford it (“free-riders”) so everyone would have health insurance. What? Wouldn’t those people receiving the subsidies be considered “free-riders?”  People should buy what they want to buy and not have it forced on them by Government. People need to be taught to be self reliant, responsible and not dependent on Government.  If people receive goods or services, give them a bill and have them pay for it.