Basic Life Insurance Mathematics

Although experience with enforcing mandates for health insurance is limited, some lessons can be drawn from other types of enforcement. National compliance rates for certain other mandates—such as provisions requiring that workers receive at least the minimum wage, children be vaccinated, drivers purchase auto insurance and wear seat belts, and people pay taxes—range from 63 percent to 85 percent, and the rates appear to improve as enforcement intensifies (Ashenfelter and Smith, 1979; Davis and Gaglia, 2005; Insurance Research Council, 2006; IRS, 2007; NHTSA, 2008). The data from those studies of compliance can provide some insight about compliance overall. The rates...