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Senate Considers Ending Obamacare Mandate in Revised Tax Plan Senate Plans to End Obamacare Mandate in Revised Tax Proposal
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — As they revise their tax plan, Senate Republicans are considering heeding President Trump’s wishes and including the repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most people have health insurance or pay a penalty. WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans have decided to include the repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most people have health insurance in a sprawling overhaul of the tax code, merging the fight over health care with the high-stakes effort to cut taxes.
The repeal of the so-called individual mandate could be included in a revised version of the Senate’s proposal that is slated for release later Tuesday, according to a Republican Senate aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Repealing the so-called individual mandate, as President Trump had urged, would help Republicans with the difficult math problem they face in refining their tax plan. But it also risks reigniting the contentious debate over health care that Republicans found themselves mired in for much of the year.
No final decision has been made, the aide said. “I’m pleased the Senate Finance Committee has accepted my proposal to repeal the Obamacare individual mandate in the tax legislation,” said Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, who had pushed for the mandate to be eliminated as part of the tax bill. “Repealing the mandate pays for more tax cuts for working families and protects them from being fined by the I.R.S. for not being able to afford insurance that Obamacare made unaffordable in the first place.”
Repealing the mandate could help Republicans with the difficult math problem they face in refining their tax plan. In order to be protected from a Democratic filibuster, the tax bill can add no more than $1.5 trillion to federal budget deficits over a decade, and it cannot add to the deficit after a decade. In order to be protected from a Democratic filibuster, the tax bill can add no more than $1.5 trillion to federal budget deficits over a decade, and it cannot add to the deficit after a decade. Eliminating the mandate would free up more than $300 billion over a decade that could go toward tax cuts, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Eliminating the mandate would free up more than $300 billion over a decade that could go toward tax cuts, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Because getting rid of the mandate would lead to a decline in the number of people with health coverage, the government would spend less money on subsidized health plans. Because getting rid of the mandate would lead to a decline in the number of people with health coverage, the government would spend less money on subsidized health plans.
In a Twitter post on Monday, Mr. Trump urged lawmakers to end the individual mandate.In a Twitter post on Monday, Mr. Trump urged lawmakers to end the individual mandate.
Several conservative senators have also called for its repeal as part of the tax overhaul, including Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, and Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky.Several conservative senators have also called for its repeal as part of the tax overhaul, including Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, and Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky.
Mr. Paul said on Tuesday that he would seek to amend the Senate plan to repeal the mandate and “provide bigger tax cuts for middle-income taxpayers.”Mr. Paul said on Tuesday that he would seek to amend the Senate plan to repeal the mandate and “provide bigger tax cuts for middle-income taxpayers.”
“The mandate repeal is a promise we all made, and we should keep,” Mr. Paul said.“The mandate repeal is a promise we all made, and we should keep,” Mr. Paul said.