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Argument: Mandatory insurance violates right to engage in contracts

Issue Report: Health insurance mandates

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Paul Hsieh. “Mandatory Health Insurance: Wrong for Massachusetts, Wrong for America”. The Objective Standard. Fall 2008: “Mandatory insurance violates individual rights in several ways. First, it forbids individuals and insurers from contracting voluntarily in a free market. In Massachusetts, individuals must choose between one of only a few government-approved plans.35 The terms of these state plans were not determined by patients and insurers negotiating in a free market. Instead, major elements, such as the prices of the plans and details of prescription drug coverage, were decided by the ten members of the government-appointed “Connector” board after ferocious lobbying from pressure groups including “business, labor, medical professionals and needy patients.”36 This is a classic example of what philosopher Ayn Rand called the ‘politics of pull.'”