FOX: Top House Republicans have opened the door to using their sweeping tax bill to repeal ObamaCare’s individual mandate, as they began retooling the tax proposal Monday in pursuit of a final version that can pass Congress.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in the GOP-controlled chamber, this weekend acknowledged that a measure to nix the requirement to buy health insurance could be included in the final tax package.
“We have an active conversation with our members and a whole host of ideas on things to add to this bill,” Ryan, R-Wis., told “Fox News Sunday.” “And that’s one of the things that’s being discussed.”
The mandate, which imposes a tax penalty on Americans who fail to buy insurance under ObamaCare, is considered a critical component of the 2010 health care law. While previous efforts to overhaul the law have failed, repealing just the mandate could have significant consequences.
Ryan attempted to make clear that House leadership isn’t driving the new repeal push. Rather, President Trump last week challenged Congress to end the mandate.
“Wouldn’t it be great to Repeal the very unfair and unpopular Individual Mandate in ObamaCare and use those savings for further Tax Cuts for the Middle Class,” the president tweeted Wednesday, one day after House Republicans released their plan.
Trump’s request surprised congressional Republicans, considering they carefully crafted a tax plan with hopes it could pass the GOP-controlled House and Senate and even garner some bipartisan support. A mandate repeal could drive away wavering Democrats. But the call also comes as Americans face soaring premiums under the health law for 2018.
If successful, Trump could in part fulfill a major campaign promise to dismantle ObamaCare — after the Senate failed this summer to pass a House-approved replacement plan. more here
Of course it’s one of the things being discussed. It’s also considered a throwaway item to bring their good friends from the other side of the aisle over. Anybody want to bet that the repeal of the individual mandate is not in the final bill?
joe6pak@
No way Jose that is a sucker bet!!!
Mandate or not, I ain’t buying overpriced insurance just because some asswipe wants me to.
I will buy what I want, when I want to, or not. And no bullshit law is going to make me do any different.
Joe is right. It’s a throw away.
Color me skeptical. Or cynical. Or both.
But if I didn’t have to pay the penalty I could buy ‘noncompliant’ coverage, likely similar to what I had before 0bamacare. And since my insurer is dropping my coverage in less than 2 months I am very interested in what happens in Congress this year.
I’m sick of hearing these flaccid pukes blubber on about this crap. Do it or don’t do it, just STFU about it.
If they were statesmen to the smallest degree, it would have been done already.
with 2018 being an election year it’s possible, but not probable
That would be great if added to the bill. But they need to nix the amnesty for DACA before I will cheer for this tax “cut” bill.
Ah, the Roberts Tax …
They can play around anyway they want. They can add free cars given to every taxpayer…. anything. We all know that behind the closed doors of the congressional cabal, they have vowed to do nothing! It’s all a game.
From what I can glean from the FAKE GOP’s, FAKE tax reform bill is that it shuffles deductibles and eliminates one to fund another. Creative accounting.
I swear, a group of kindergarten students would have worked harder and come up with gibberish 💩 that would have made more sense.
It amazes me that the rotten GOP STILL thinks they are dealing with people who follow the laser beams that they dangle, and won’t notice that they are truely lying, exceedingly highly-paid, elitist SLOUCHERS, ONLY interested in keeping their suck-the-taxpayer-jobs and sugar daddy lobbyist incomes.
This Is just another faint by Rattlesnake Ryan. He runs a rumor mill but he never has any intention of doing anything positive that will help real Americans. I wish we could make Daca into a suppository and said to him directly! He would rather kiss Barry’s arse then help anybody!