Why is car insurance mandatory but not health insurance?

Murder vs. Suicide.....

That's a no brainer.

The answer to that question depends on where you live. In Massachusetts, health insurance is mandatory. And it's seems to be a matter of time before it is that way for the remaining 49. President Obama has made it clear to congress that he wants the following as part of a health care reform bill to be approved by the end of this month:

-Coverage that has no exclusions for preexisting conditions

-Affordability

-Deficit neutral (meaning the government can not absorb any additional responsibility for medical coverage)

To meet these demands, the only logical conclusion is that everyone will need to be part of the risk pool.

It is certainly a different rationale than the liability protection sought by states that have imposed auto insurance mandates or the creditor-imposed mandate for homeowners insurance. The result is the same and may very likely be the new reality for Health Insurance.

Auto insurance is relatively cheap compared to health insurance. A good driver can get extensive auto coverage (collision, liability, etc) for maybe $1000 per year. However, a person with a pre-existing health condition can't even buy coverage (that will pay claims related to the pre-existing condition) at any price! They are uninsurable.

Health insurance is the problem, not the solution. America needs a universal health program, just like every other developed country in the world already has.

It's all about the claims.

The part of car insurance that's mandatory, is the damage you do to someone else.

Health insurance has way, way, way more claims than car insurance. If there's going to be health care reform, part of the reform, is requiring EVERYONE to buy it - even if you're healthy. MOST people who can't buy it now, can't buy it, because they were uninsured at the time they developed their ongoing illness.

Plus, here in the USA, we're getting fatter and fatter each year - meaning, we're getting LESS healthy, and claims are going to go UP.

SO. The politicians haven't tackled, how to make mandatory, that people are required to buy something that MUST cost at least $1000 a month, or even more, for the people who need it most - the people who are ALREADY sick, and need to file claims in excess of $12,000 a year. They also can't figure out how to convince healthy people that they need to buy something that costs on average $400 a month, when they usually have less than that a year, in CLAIMS.

Health insurance is for yourself and so if you do not care about yourself - you land in a mess. Car can cause damage to others - property or bodily injury and you are the reason for the cause and so they need to be compensated and so car insurance is mandatory.

The car insurance that is mandatory is liability insurance, that is, it will pay if you hurt someone else. It protects strangers.

If you don't get / can't afford health insurance, you only hurt yourself (or your own family).

Because car insurance can affect other people. Health insurance only affects you.

Because when you wreck your car there is a great likelihood you will hurt other people.