I don’t tbink mandatory insurance is the way to address that problem.
I’d suggest passing laws giving hospitals greater ability to collect from uninsured, emergency room freeloaders. Reasonable payment plan standards should be established and when payments are not made, the hospital should be able to quickly and easily garnish wages and seize assets (including hosues, cars and personal property) of uninsured deadbeats. Also, emergency room bills of the uninsured should survive bankruptcy.
If people knew they would face losing everything, they would get insurance.
Yes, just because they got 'free' care doesn't mean they don't have to pay for it eventually. When people do stupid things that cost other people money, they should pay up.
Your suggestion could work - it is actually quite good. I didn’t mean to imply I favored mandatory insurance, I don’t. We have a huge problem with “freeloaders” in this country. Since it is quite obvious they are not going to become responsible on their own accord, I just try to keep an open mind about things that will make them accountable. In the end, I have way too much of a libertarian streak to go for it.-—JM