Recent letters to the editor have acknowledged that the Obamacare mandate for purchasing health insurance is the same as government mandated compulsory auto insurance.
Proponents of Obamacare often cite this supposed relationship to support the constitutionality of the mandate. I understand why some may accept the argument since respected media figures and even conservative politicians often do so.
But here are the facts: No state I know of makes you to carry insurance on your car. Period. States have financial responsibility laws requiring you to insure for damages you may inflict on others. This is called liability insurance and is a reasonable requirement for anyone using public roads. Who wants to share the road with uninsured motorists lacking financial resources?
One is free to legally drive his $90,000 BMW for example, with no insurance for damages to the vehicle itself. Some people even drop such coverage on older vehicles that may be worth less than the insurance premiums. Of course, if the bank owns most of your car they will require you to insure it for collision, fire, theft, etc. to prevent you from defaulting on your loan after a total loss.
Obamacare requires you buy health insurance for your own body, not for injuries to others. So there is no analogy to compulsory auto insurance, which is regulated by states, not the federal government. There may be legitimate arguments one can make for Obamacare. Compulsory auto insurance is not one of them.
- John Relle,
Thousand Oaks
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