As we continue to look at what real health care reform would look like, we find ourselves looking at the issue of government mandates:

http://www.seefirstblog.com/2009/07/14/when-politics-and-health-care-meet/

There are some 2000 individual mandates that govern health insurance plans. As the article notes, this reflects:

“the ability of particular groups to convince politicians to cover (or exclude from coverage) particular conditions or procedures. For example, some states mandate coverage for vitro fertilization, hospice care, HPV vaccine, acupuncture, while others do not. As you might expect, the combinations vary from state to state and there is no uniform model.”

So here’s how it works. Take acupuncture, for example. Lobbyists are hired by the acupuncture industry. The lobbyists help the legislators or regulators write mandates that any health insurance plan must cover acupuncture. Then the health insurance plan passes along the extra cost of this service to the customer in the form of higher premiums.

So the solution is not more government mandates, but more individual freedom. In car insurance, you can purchase a minimal plan that just gives you the basics. Why can’t we do the same thing in health insurance? I don’t need acupuncture. I just need something in case someone in our family needs to go to the doctor once in a while.

Real reform would begin with repealing these mandates and letting the customer shop around for a plan that fits him.