On MSNBC's The Daily Rundown today, Howard Dean has come out and predicted either the courts or Democrats will get rid of the mandate by 2014, and that they should. He says it is doomed to be politically unpopular and is both unnecessary for HCR to succeed as well as a policy that just benefits insurance companies.
He points to success in his governorship in Vermont in covering all children without a mandate and instead using tough regulations to reign in the market abuses of insurance companies, as an example of health care reform success without a mandate.
"The fact of the matter is the American people arent' going to put up with a mandate... people don't like to be told what to do" --Howard Dean, Friday August 6, 2010.
In the video below, Dean expresses support for President Obama against Republican obstructionism on a slew of issues. He also puts his weight behind progressive views on Social Security, the deficit, etc. He shows us by example how to support the administration while also fighting hard for more progressive policies. The mandate is discussed at 3:49 of the video:
link to video here. )Sorry, I tried embedding and posting the video numerous times and it din't work.)
Sam Stein of Huffpo quotes Dean's conversation with Chuck Todd on MSNBC:
Dean: [T]he truth is the mandate's not essential to the plan anyway. It never was essential to the plan. They did it in massachusetts and had a mandate, but we have universal health care for kids in my state without a mandate...
Academically you want a mandate. The American people aren't going to put up with a mandate. I made this prediction before and I'm going to make it again: by the time this thing goes into effect in 2014, I think the mandate will be gone either through the courts or because it's unpopular. You don't need it.
When asked if the loss of a mandate would kill universal health coverage, Dean said no:
Absolutely not... the only people that really benefit from the mandate are the insurance companies. I know from personal experience, 18 years ago we did this in my state and it still works just fine. We didn't have big rate increases.
I'm posting this not to advocate for or against the mandate, nor to reignite that debate, but because this is very important news. I have tremendous respect for Dr. Dean, and his comments on this subject I believe are important food for thought.
Udate: YouTube of the mandate discussion here:
Thanks to kossian commentor jj32 for the link.