National Health Insurance by Regulation: Mandated Employee Benefits

摘要

Social issues have often been solved, at least in part, by requiring that certain activities be undertaken by businesses on behalf of their employees. The entire social security system, workmen's compensation plans, and affirmative action for hiring of minorities are cases in point. The concept of using mandating as a portion of a national health insurance (NHI) plan arose during the Nixon administration and has been periodically (though not necessarily currently) embraced by such diverse entities as the administrations of Presidents Nixon and Carter, the U.S. Chamber of Commence, and prominent members of Congress of a variety of political persuasions from both major political parties. The broad political appeal for using mandated insurance appears to arise from several roots. First, it is 'off budget'. That is, a national health insurance plan can be structured without giving the appearance of affecting federal spending. Second, it gains the political support of a potentially powerful interest group: Because it retains an active role for the private insurance industry, it retains a market-oriented structure generally appealing to those desiring to minimize the appearance of government intervention.