Will Mandatory Health Insurance Work?

The latest fad among Republicans is enforcing “personal responsibility” by requiring individuals to buy health insurance. It was enshrined in the recent Massachusetts health reform law, proudly signed by Gov. Mitt Romney and endorsed by a number of conservative, and even libertarian, organizations.

Sounds like a good solution to the problem of growing numbers of people who are uninsured: if people won’t buy health insurance voluntarily, pass a law mandating that they buy it anyway. Problem solved.

Well, not quite. How do we know mandatory coverage will work? How do we know it will succeed in getting people who do not currently have health insurance to buy it?