Why Did Texas Attorney General Embrace Mandates?
Attorney General Greg Abbott, suing to block federal insurance requirements, embraces mandating certain parents to purchase health insurance in Texas. Federal government’s funding requirements appear to motivate the Attorney General’s longstanding compliance with laws requiring child support obligated parents to also purchase health insurance. Attorney General Abbott’s spokesman conceded a history of compliance with the federal government’s requirement that certain parents provide health care coverage or payments .[i] In addition to compliance with federal requirements, the Attorney General suggested broader legislation for children’s medical care, envisioning in January 2008 “a private insurance company would contract with the state to cover a pool of children, a court could order parents to buy the private insurance based on their ability to pay, the court could order the insurance premiums withheld from a parent’s paycheck, and parents who provide proof of insurance could opt out.”
