Legislative Process

Federal mandates are orders from a central government that require compliance by state and local governments and individuals. Many times, mandates are signed into law "without the federal funds to support their execution" (Zaretsky 5). Additionally, mandates can be divided into different categories and require compliance by different agencies, companies, or individuals.

One fairly recent mandate stems from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which was signed into law on March 30, 2010. Under the PPACA, an individual mandate requires people to purchase an insurance policy or face fines if they are not otherwise covered by an employer-sponsored insurance program or other public insurance program.

Under the PPACA, it has been mandated that new insurance plans cover certain preventive services without charging a deductible, co-pay, or requiring co-insurance. Furthermore, the "contraceptive mandate," requires that health insurance providers include contraception in their health insurance plans and policies....
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