Car Insurance Mandate

Here is an excerpt from CNN's American Morning:

[ROBERTS: But why is it mandate for having health insurance a bad thing? There's a mandate for having car insurance.

ARMEY: Well, first of all, you have to understand, America is a nation that was founded on the concept of personal liberty, that liberty is a gift given to mankind by the Lord God Almighty and it's the duty of governments to protect your liberty.

ROBERTS: Do you have car insurance?

ARMEY: Not to trespass against your liberty.

ROBERTS: Do you have car insurance?

ARMEY: Do I have car insurance? Of course, I have car insurance.

ROBERTS: You have to have car insurance.]

Now this would be a very good argument, if car insurance and health insurance mandates were the same. In this case Washington D.C. is mandating that people buy something. Whereas for car insurance the state is mandating it. Also not every state does it either. The government can't tell you to carry a baby to full term if you choose not to, so why then do they get to decide that you must purchase health insurance?

This argument falls apart once you start dissecting the car insurance mandate. The car insurance is a high risk catastrophic plan. Much like the GOP idea of 'high risk pools.' But that idea has been shot down by democrats. Back to the main point, one's car insurance does not cover their tire changes, tune ups, car washes or oil changes. One's car is not covered for windshield replacements or, for getting gas.

Thus these are thus two different and incompatible concepts.