[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 17 (Thursday, February 24, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
            THE ABSURDITY OF UNASSISTED INDIVIDUAL MANDATES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Stark] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, a number of Members are proposing that all 
individual Americans be mandated to purchase a basic health insurance 
policy, with no help from their employers and no clear, defined help 
from the Government.
  I have a modest proposal to expand this great idea, because it is 
clear that with individual mandates, we can legislate all our troubles 
away.
  The national median income of a family headed by a woman with no 
husband present is about $17,200, and for married couples it is about 
$42,000.
  Members who would impose an individual health mandate are saying that 
these family units should buy a health policy that will cost somewhere 
between $2,000 and $3,000.
  Obviously, if families obey this mandate, many of them--particularly 
households headed by a single woman--will have to cut back on some 
other spending. While most people in this country do operate under the 
theory of rugged individualism, it will probably not be enough to make 
any of these individual mandate plans work.
  If they have to pay for health care, they won't be able to buy food 
for their children. That means more money for public assistance 
programs to help feed the hungry. Or, we can just mandate that every 
one feed their children.
  If they have to pay for health insurance and food, they won't be able 
to pay the rent. That means an even greater homeless problem. But it 
can be fixed. We just mandate that everybody has to find a place to 
live and pay their rent. Maybe we even force them to clean their rooms.
  If they have to pay for health insurance, food, and rent, they 
probably won't be able to afford nice clothing or a car payment. That 
means a slump in retail sales and the auto industry, causing the 
economy to slip into a recession, which means more unemployment. But 
this too can be fixed. We just mandate that everybody go out shopping. 
That's right, fill the malls.
  If they have to pay all these bills, they're not going to be able to 
pay taxes. But that's illegal, so we'll have to mandate that everyone 
have a high-paying job. Or, that local banks grant people low-interest 
loans to help pay off their debt.
  See, Mr. Speaker, this kind of legislating is easy. It is called the 
King Canute School of Legislative Drafting. If we just wave our magic 
wands, all the problems of our constituents will go away, and we can 
all be happy.

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