ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies ways to structure health insurance mandates, if adopted at the federal level, so they are administered fairly and effectively. It draws on information about the administrative arrangements used in health insurance mandates in Hawaii, Massachusett's, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, as well as those proposed by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the New America Foundation, and Senators Ron Wyden and Robert Bennett. Massachusetts's employer mandates are less far-reaching than Hawaii's because Massachusett's, unlike Hawaii does not have an exemption from Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Under the federal-state unemployment insurance program, employers must pay a payroll tax on the earnings of covered employees. Forty-six states have some form of compulsory automobile insurance, and all states hold motorists accountable for bodily injury and damage to other vehicles. The Insurance Research Council provides periodic estimates of the percentage of uninsured motorists in each state based on accident claims data.
