Argument: Constitution does not grant power for health insurance mandates

Issue Report: Constitutionality of US health insurance mandates


Larrey Anderson. “No health care in the Constitution.” American Thinker. November 2, 2009: “The words ‘general Welfare’ show up in the first line of Article I, Section 8: ‘The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States … [Emphasis added.]’ Notice that the Constitution doesn’t say the ‘general welfare of the citizens of the United States.’ It says “general Welfare of the United States.’ This clause only gives the Congress the power to raise money to defend the country and pay for the day-to-day operations of the government. It says nothing at all about building bridges to nowhere, or paving bike paths, or spending money on any other kind of pork barrel project — including health care.”