individual mandate

Bob Semro's piece comparing the Affordable Care Act to the Masachusetts model  (Straight talk on health care reform: Comparing the Affordable Care Act and the Massachusetts model) was posted as part of Viewpoints on the Kaiser Health News website.

Bob Semro's presentation to the League of Women Voters on "The Affordable Care Act – after the Supreme Court ruling."

Please click on image to view presentation

By Bob Semro

The closest real-world example to the Affordable Care Act is the health reform plan implemented in Massachusetts in 2006. Even though the ACA has a 50-state focus, the plans are very much alike. To get an idea of how the ACA might work, it's useful to look at the Massachusetts experiment.

(See page 24 of link below)

By Bob Semro

From the beginning, there was little doubt that one of the Affordable Care Act's most important provisions would end up in the Supreme Court. That section of the law, known as the "minimum coverage provision," or "individual mandate," would require most American citizens and legal residents to purchase a minimum level of health insurance coverage from a private insurer or pay a tax penalty.

From the beginning, there was little doubt that the minimum-coverage provision of the Affordable Care Act, also known as the individual mandate, would end up in the Supreme Court. That provision requires most American citizens and legal residents to purchase a minimum level of health insurance coverage from a private insurer or pay a tax penalty.

Robert Semro, the Bell's health care policy analyst, will explain why the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act is constitutional in a presentation from noon-1 p.m. Wednesday at the Anschutz Medical Campus (Room P26-1300, Education I building).

The main goal of the Affordable Care Act is to have more Americans covered by health insurance. The mechanism for achieving that goal is the "individual mandate" – the requirement that most Americans have health insurance.

The simple reason behind the mandate is that in order for the insurance market to offer guaranteed coverage and be efficient and cost-effective, the maximum number of people must participate.

The future of national health care reform under the Affordable Care Act may hinge on a single provision in the new law. The individual mandate, or the "minimum essential coverage provision," requires most uninsured Americans to purchase health coverage or pay a tax penalty. The big question is whether the individual mandate is constitutional.

By Bob Semro

The "individual mandate" is a fundamental part of last year's national health care reform law.

Under the Affordable Care Act, in 2014, Americans who do not have health insurance will be required, or mandated, to purchase coverage or pay a tax penalty. Exemptions will be granted for financial hardship, religious reasons or if the price of the lowest-cost plan exceeds 8 percent of annual income.