Blue Shield of California CEO Bruce Bodaken said he believes that the Supreme Court, which just finished hearing arguments about the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law, should uphold the individual mandate. “I’m no lawyer and the
Court will decide whatever they decide,” Bodaken told KQED. “But I do know this–we mandate many things in this society. … I have to send my children to school, at least to a certain age. If you want to drive a car, you have to have auto insurance. I don’t think this is all that different.”
But if the high court does strike down the mandate, Bodaken hopes it also
will drop the requirement that insurers cover everyone who applies. “If we don’t
have everyone in, those that need care and those that don’t need care, there are
not enough premium dollars going into the pool to make it affordable for
everyone,” he said. Article
