Obamacare Mandate To Get More Teeth

The system falls apart if people scoff at the wimpy penalty

Can't get enough of Obamacare's individual mandate? Get ready for "mandate plus."

The Obama administration always said there was a practical reason it needed the mandate, which starts next year. It wasn't to be mean to people — it was supposed to pull in enough healthy customers to help pay for all the sick people who will get coverage. That's why the White House stuck with it all the way to the Supreme Court — however unpopular politically, it was the best tool to make the new health system work.

Here's the catch: The individual mandate penalties will be pretty weak as they are phased in over two years — only $95 when they start in 2014, much less than it costs to buy insurance. And yet, everyone with pre-existing conditions will have to be accepted for coverage right away.