Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is once again weighing in on the health reform debate, this time echoing the insurance industry's argument that the individual mandate contained in the Senate Finance bill will prove unworkable as young and healthy Americans conclude that they are better off paying a small fine than purchasing costly insurance.
"Even factoring in government subsidies, the cost of purchasing a plan is much more than $750," Palin writes in her latest Facebook message. "The result: many people, especially the young and healthy, will simply not buy coverage, choosing to pay the fine instead.
"They'll wait until they're sick to buy health insurance," she adds, "confident in the knowledge that insurance companies can't deny them coverage, such a scenario is a perfect storm for increasing the cost of health care and creating an unsustainable mandate program."
The former Republican vice presidential candidate, whose book, "Going Rogue," is set to be released on Nov. 17, is keeping people guessing about her political future. Some top Republicans expect her to become a candidate for president in 2012. Others, including some top Republicans with ties to her, think that she wants to be influential on issues of concern to her without undergoing the rigor of a White House run.
Palin's critique of the weakened individual mandate echoes concerns about the Finance bill that were raised last week by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the lobbying arm of the health insurance industry.
After spending months at the table with the Obama administration and Democratic lawmakers pushing for a strong individual mandate, AHIP turned against the Senate Finance bill last week just two days before the measure came to a vote. (CONTINUES HERE AT ABC NEWS)
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