According to a new survey, about 68 percent of Americans agree that "individuals should be required to have medical insurance, with government help for those who cannot afford it." Now, that total may drop if you added a specific penalty to the language, but it shows that there is, at the least, support for the principle of mandates, which suggests to me that Hillary and Edwards could make a more aggressive argument based around fairness, rather than continually falling back on disputes about how many individuals would remain uncovered. An appeal based around the idea that we pay for those who are too irresponsible to purchase care would, I think, have some resonance. It's an updating of Clinton's old "opportunity, responsibility" formulation. We will make health care more affordable, more fair, and more wellness-focused. In turn, you have to buy into the system and acquire coverage for you and your family.
