California should stop forcing young people to buy health insurance

California’s gubernatorial candidates agree on at least one thing: The state has an affordability crisis.Whether the proposed solution is cheaper energy, lower taxes, new housing construction or tougher regulation of large corporations, both Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra are competing to convince voters they can make life in California less expensive.Young Californians have good reason to be skeptical.The average Gen Z salary in the state is around $49,000, an amount that no longer guarantees financial security.

Rent consumes a growing share of income, roughly $2,100 a month in California.Student debt remains a burden, up to tens of thousands of dollars.

Groceries, transportation and utility bills continue to climb.And the price of fuel in the Golden State is far more expensive than in the rest of the country.

Building savings — or even keeping up with monthly expenses — can feel increasingly difficult.Against that backdrop, California continues to enforce a policy that receives surprisingly little attention in affordability debates: the individual health insurance mandate.Recall that when the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) passed Congress in 2010, it included a provision forcing people to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.The Supreme Court, in a controversial 2012 decision, redefined the penalty as a “tax” to preserve the constitutionality of the law.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story The purpose of the penalty, known as the “individual mandate,” was to compel healthier young people to subsidize a health insurance system whose expenses focus on the elderly and the chronically ill.President Donald Trump did away with the individual mandate in his first term, even though his party failed to d...