KANSAS CITY, Missouri — As health care generates debate in this year’s presidential campaign, about 68 percent of Americans say individuals should be required to have medical insurance, with government help for those who cannot afford it, a survey released on Tuesday found. According to the survey by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent foundation working toward health policy reform, health insurance mandates were supported by 80 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Independents. The problem of how to provide health insurance to all Americans is one of the top campaign issues being confronted by Democratic and Republican contenders for their parties’ nominations to the November presidential election. About 47 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. ‘It is a significant issue as the number of uninsured people climbs every year and more and more middle-class people are affected,’ said Sara Collins, assistant vice president at The Commonwealth Fund. The group said that while both leading Democratic and Republican candidates want to expand health coverage through the private insurance market, there were several key differences: None of the Republican candidates would require that people have health […]