Avoiding mandates

With debt and the deficit out of sight and the economy in the Dumpster, Democrats weren't heading into this fall's mid-term elections with much to brag about.

There was one bright spot, though. The party that brought us ObamaCare could at least say, "We achieved one thing: From now on children under age 19 will have health insurance, even if they have pre-existing conditions. Because we decreed it!"

As a matter of fact, today was the day when those provisions of the new law were set to take effect. But it didn't work out quite as planned.

"Major health insurance companies in California and other states have decided to stop selling policies for children rather than comply with a new federal health-care law that bars them from rejecting youngsters with pre-existing medical conditions," the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp. and others said they were taking the step because the new federal mandate "could create huge and unexpected costs for covering children," by prompting parents to buy policies only after their children became sick.

Needless to say, the White House and other Democrats are shocked, shocked, to encounter such brazen refusal to fall in line and march off the financial cliff as ordered.

"It's obviously very unfortunate that insurance companies continue to make decisions on the backs of children and families that need their help," said Press Secretary Robert Gibbs at the White House.

Is it possible the White House believed the insurance companies were charities, that they would not take the economically necessary steps to abandon any part of the field made unprofitable by government mandates?

This is like Washington declaring that from now on there's a $100 tax on every cheeseburger, and then shrieking and kicking when the fast food chains stop serving cheeseburgers in order to stay in business selling whatever's left.

"Insurers need to decide if they are in the business of providing care or denying coverage," stormed Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California.

Here's a hint, Mr. Wright -- and Mr. Obama: They're in business selling a product on which they can make a profit, in order to earn a return for their stockholders. Place legal restrictions on that product so no one can make a profit selling it, and people will stop selling it.

This will not be the last time the absurd promises and assumptions of Obamanomics run head-on into economic realities. Oh, no. We've only just begun.