Words.
"...So what does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act do apart from the individual mandate? Three big things.
First, private insurance companies will be required not to deny or revoke insurance because of preexisting conditions. They can still make good profits, but not by dumping sick people or avoiding people who might become sick. Second, Medicaid will be expanded to cover about 16 million additional low-income people, and generous tax credits will be provided to help businesses and middle-class Americans afford private health insurance plans. Third, the law requires each state to establish an exchange, or virtual marketplace, where people and businesses can comparison shop for health plans and find out which tax credits they can use to help pay for a plan of their choice.
These steps are the essence of the Affordable Care Act — and although we rarely hear about it, polling shows that 60% to 70% of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, favor these core provisions.
What happens if the Supreme Court nixes the individual mandate? Politically, the law might actually be better off if the mandate is surgically removed. After a couple of weeks of doomsaying, the focus of public discussion will switch to the important provisions most Americans favor.
Ultimately, though, if the men and women in black robes rule out the mandate at the national level, then new tools must be found to make sure that people do not just wait until they get sick to obtain insurance. If we simply let people wait until they need coverage, health insurance will soon cover only the old and sick, and it will cost too much for everyone..."
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Getting past healthcare's individual mandate
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