The Individual Mandate

Known commonly has health care reform; The Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in March 2010. One of its biggest goals is to increase the number of insured Americans by making sure that everyone can get basic affordable health insurance. To do this the ACA created new rules including the individual mandate which applies to almost everyone. The individual mandate says that beginning in 2014 almost everyone must have insurance or pay a fine. The ACA requires that everyone have health insurance so that:

• People don't wait until they get sick to buy insurance

• Sick people are not the only ones who buy insurance when the new law prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage to sick people

• The costs of covering almost everyone are shared by almost everyone, which can drive down the cost of insurance

• New insurance company costs created by the consumer protection rules and newly insured people are covered by new income

• People have an individual responsibility to cover the cost of their own care

The Supreme Court will be reviewing the Constitutionality of the mandate in March with an expected ruling in June.

For more information about the law and the mandate, please visit reform.healthfoundation.org