September 04, 2007

Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator John Edwards has come out in favor of "mandatory" preventive care:

He noted, for example, that women would be required to have regular mammograms in an effort to find and treat "the first trace of problem." Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, announced earlier this year that her breast cancer had returned and spread.

"The whole idea is a continuum of care, basically from birth to death," he said.

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but what could it possibly mean to make preventive care "mandatory"? Does Edwards mean to fine women who don't get mammograms once a year? How about colonoscopies for men over 50? Will chiropractic care be covered? Will it be mandatory for Americans to eat their vegetables and floss their teeth, among other prevention measures?

Creating a system that offers universal mandatory screening (for 300 million Americans) will only lead to enormous increases in health care costs, rationing, and longer waits for covered services.

"Mandatory preventive care" sounds appealing on the surface - who doesn't want less death and suffering? - but in reality it is an ill considered soundbite.

Posted by Paul Howard at September 4, 2007 02:23 PM

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