MY TURN: Health insurance mandates increase the cost of health care
Americans view health insurance much differently than other types of insurance. When a person says that they have great health insurance, what they really mean is that their insurance covers a whole host of medical problems — eye wear, dental, preventive care and routine check-ups. Other forms of insurance, for example homeowners, cover major problems, but routine issues like mowing the lawn and cleaning the gutters are covered by out-of-pocket expenditures.
Compounding this difference between health insurance and other types of insurance are state and federal mandates that require policies to cover various medical problems. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, requires every health insurance policy to contain 10 specific mandates. Each state has its own mandates that in many cases overlap the federal mandates. As of several years ago, Wyoming had 32 health benefit and provider mandates, Montana had 31 and Idaho had 10.
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