what is the individual mandate component of the patient protection and affordable care act? a rule that requires, with limited exceptions, that every resident of the country must enroll in a health insurance plan or pay a fine a provision that allows each individual patient to overrule insurance companies when selecting physicians and procedures a policy measure that assigns, or mandates, each patient to an approved primary care provider a declaration that each individual is responsible for his or her own health care needs and should not look to the government for assistance what is the primary reason for the individual mandate? to ensure that all sick people have health care coverage so their medical bills will be paid to reduce government's role in health care and rely more on markets to increase the profits of companies offering health insurance to make sure healthy people do not opt out and reduce the risk pool for insurance companies
