Reply #18: Maybe he just doesn't want to use the word "mandate"?

[frazzled]

Because I am looking at the explanation of Obama's health plan given after its rollout by his adviser David Cutler, a Harvard health economist who worked for the Clinton administration and was an adviser to John Kerry. Here's how he explained Obama's plan:

On Tuesday, Barack Obama laid out a proposal for universal health care plan that will guarantee every American affordable, comprehensive health insurance. I advised Senator Obama on the proposal, so I will not claim to be an independent voice.

As a health care analyst for nearly 20 years and a veteran of the Clinton Health Plan, however, I believe strongly that the Obama proposal is a bold, comprehensive, realistic approach to national health reform in the United States. It holds the potential for the single most important transformation of health care in a century: one that guarantees Americans health insurance coverage and does so in a way that wrings waste and inefficiency out of the system.

Here's how it works: If you don't have health insurance through your employer, you will be enrolled into a new, comprehensive public health insurance plan that emphasizes prevention, chronic care management and quality care. The benefits will be similar to those available today to every federal employee.

This plan will enjoy the great efficiencies we see in public plans like Medicare but, if you still cannot afford it, you will receive a subsidy to pay for it. Of course, you can choose private insurance if you prefer but the private plans will have to compete on a level playing field with the public plan—without the extra payments that tip the scales in favor of private Medicare Advantage plans today.

Employers who do not offer meaningful coverage or a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to pay a percentage of payroll to the plan and their employees will be enrolled. Any employer can decide it no longer wishes to administer insurance and can offer insurance through the exchange. Self-employed Americans will find it easy to enroll as well at no disadvantage. Children will be covered and no one can be denied health insurance because of a preexisting condition or illness.

All Americans will be covered automatically under this plan. And the resources are set aside in the plan to do whatever is necessary to guarantee affordable coverage for every American.

http://commonsense.ourfuture.org/advisor_describes_obama_health_plan

Now, when Cutler uses phrases like "you will be enrolled" or "employers will be required to pay a percentage of payroll" ... it's sounding pretty mandated to me. In other words, employers are going to have to offer the "public" plan if they are not currently offering other health insurance. Only self-employed people seem to have an option: "...they will find it easy to enroll."