There was a time in American politics when the term "unfunded mandate" became a term lobbed back and forth among opposing political groups. It referred to laws passed by one group that called for spending money that didn't exist anywhere — at least, according to the other group.
The term seems to have lost its edge as unfunded mandates became as common as initiative petitions and elected official recalls. But a new one may soon rise to take its place: the unmandated funding phenomenon, now beginning to catch fire in Congress.
The health insurance subsidy that forms a critical element of the Affordable Care Act is a good example of this latest artifice used by one party to get what it wants without having to get the other party's approval.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
