There is little empirical evidence regarding the responsiveness of individuals to health insurance mandates. Two states (Hawaii and Massachusetts) require many of their employers to provide coverage for employees or face penalties, but the responsiveness to a mandate requiring employers to offer insurance is likely to be different from the reaction to a broader mandate that individual people obtain coverage. Although Massachusetts currently requires adults to have health insurance, that mandate has been in existence for less than four years. State and local governments mandate other types of behavior, however, from requiring drivers to buy auto insurance to requiring school-age.
