"I must reluctantly conclude that Congress exceeded the bounds of its authority in passing the Act with the individual mandate," Vinson writes. "Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional... ."
So it's okay for the State of Ohio to force me to buy car insurance, but it's not okay for the United States to force me to buy health insurance?
There are many things about this health care bill that I really like. I understand the need for individual mandates, but to me that is license to line the pockets of insurance companies unless there is a public option which there currently is not. If everyone has health insurance, the total cost of care for everyone goes down. The use of doctors instead of emergency rooms for minor illnesses increases. The regular annual check-ups and other health maintenance improves. We all benefit when everyone is healthier. The individual mandate is what makes the health care bill affordable as legislation. I don't see it as unconstitutional, but more as a necessary evil.
Update: Apparently the State of South Dakota is looking at taking the individual mandate to new extremes. Legislation under debate there reads: "Not later than January 1, 2012, each citizen residing in the state of South Dakota who has attained the age of twenty-one years shall purchase or otherwise acquire a firearm suitable to their temperament, physical capacity, and personal preference sufficient to provide for their ordinary self-defense."
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