According to Judge Roger Vinson’s decision on January 31, Congress has no power to legislate an “individual mandate,” whereby the federal government charges the citizen a “penalty” if he does not buy a private health-insurance policy. As an opponent of Obamacare and a supporter of the Constitution, it’s a decision that I cheer. But as an economist, I find it absurd. If last year’s majority had designed the legislation slightly differently, it would not have prompted the smallest whisper of constitutional challenge.
To understand this, let’s look at a very simple society comprising two equally productive households: Smith and Jones, under four different scenarios:
Read the rest of this article at John Goodman's Health Policy Blog.
Research and commentary from a former senior executive in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
No comments:
Post a Comment