The health care reform bill now moving through the U.S. Senate includes an individual mandate, which means that if you are not covered by your employer, you will be forced to buy an insurance policy. That policy will have to cover everything Congress thinks you ought to have, which means high-powered lobbyists, and the politicians and bureaucrats they influence, will determine the diseases and devices your policy covers.
This will have a larger impact in Mississippi than in most other states, because we don't require coverage of as many diseases and devices as most other states. The items required by the new federal law will exceed the number and cost of the items now required in Mississippi. And heavy mandates carry a heavy cost. For example, health insurance is twice as expensive in New Jersey, which has many mandates, as it is next door in Pennsylvania, which has few mandates.
In addition to the financial cost, the whole concept of the federal government mandating its citizens buy anything turns our Founders' concept of limited government on its head. For more on the Founders' ideas, order our booklet Governing by Principle. Go to mspolicy.org or call 601-969-1300.