While policymakers talk about finding ways to reduce the number of uninsured Americans, they pass laws that drive up the cost of insurance.

How do the policymakers do this? By imposing insurance mandates, which in turn makes coverage unaffordable for millions of Americans.

Yesterday the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) released the latest editition of its annual report, "Health Insurance Mandates in the States." The number of mandates now reaches over 1,900 across the country.

CAHI analysis suggests that mandates, which impose requirements that certain populations be served, certain health care professionals be compensated, or that certain treatments be paid for, increase the cost of basicd health coverage anywhere from 20 to 50 percent.

A copy of the 2007 edition of "Health Insurance Mandates in the States" is available on CAHI's website, www.cahi.org. Also available on the web site are corresponding documents "Trends in State Mandated Benefits, 2007" and "Mandated Benefit Definition Memo, 2007."