The irony of the conservative opposition to the individual mandate is that, if successful, it will ultimately result in a single payer government funded healthcare system.
The costs of healthcare needs to be spread across society as a whole. There are only two ways to do this:
1) Mandate all people buy insurance; or
2) Pay for healthcare out of government general revenue.
Thus, if conservatives succeed in taking the individual mandate option off the table the only other option is a single payer government healthcare system. It may take a decade or two and require the American healthcare system to totally collapse but, if the only other option is off the table, public healthcare becomes inevitable.
The costs of healthcare needs to be spread across society as a whole. There are only two ways to do this:
1) Mandate all people buy insurance; or
2) Pay for healthcare out of government general revenue.
Thus, if conservatives succeed in taking the individual mandate option off the table the only other option is a single payer government healthcare system. It may take a decade or two and require the American healthcare system to totally collapse but, if the only other option is off the table, public healthcare becomes inevitable.
