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Individual mandate: Is the devil you know better than the one you don’t?

Yesterday, I invited you to play a little game of “Would you rather…?”. Let’s keep that theme going a little while longer, this time on the topic of the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Would you rather comply with the individual mandate or be auto-enrolled in a health plan (with a chance to opt out)?

That’s just one of the either-or scenarios being proposed now that the individual mandate is in a bit of legal trouble.

Another applies the carrot-stick principle: offering discounts to people who purchase coverage early and charging higher premiums to those who enroll late.

I’m not wild about the individual mandate, but these alternatives don’t particularly thrill me, either. But at least the debate is spurring further thought on the issue, and that can only be a good thing.

What do you think? When it comes to the individual mandate, is the devil you know better than the devil you don’t? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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