Obamacare...The Good..Bad and the Ugly

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Senate Republicans just repealed the Obamacare mandate in historic vote
December 2, 2017

Replacing and repealing Obamacare (particularly its individual mandate) has been a priority for the Trump administration and conservatives all over the country for the past year. The toxic legislation may finally be on its way out.

Senate Republicans have included, as part of their tax-cut bill, a number of provisions that will weaken Obamacare and end the individual mandate — a major step toward eradicating the unpopular law in its entirety, according to The Hill.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) commented on the achievement, stating, “Families ought to be able to make decisions about what they want to buy and what works for them — not the government.”

The Senator lambasted the tax penalties bundled with Obamacare that have hurt so many Americans. “I believe if people don’t want to buy the Obamacare insurance, they shouldn’t have to pay a tax penalty to the IRS,” Barrasso said.

A Long Way to Go
There are still legislative hurdles to overcome before we’ll see the Republican tax plan take effect. The bill must, for example, be reconciled with prominent House legislation that doesn’t currently support or address the repeal of Obamacare’s individual mandate.

The most recent tallies indicate that no Democrats (in either chamber) are in support of the tax bill. Some cite uncertainty, claiming that the wholesale repeal of the mandate without a replacement waiting in the wings could negatively affect the health of millions of Americans. Others, in all likelihood, are using the opportunity to be adversarial with their votes.

To bridge the partisan gap, moderate Republicans have shown an interest in working with Democrats to proactively shield the American public from damages they may incur as a result of rapid changes to the insurance market.

In Support of the Bill
The president, alongside several prominent Senate conservatives (such as Tom Cotton, of Arkansas), is an ardent supporter of the legislative changes.

It’s easy to see why — the Congressional Budget Office posits that a repeal of the individual mandate would lift $300 billion in subsidies off the shoulders of taxpayers over the course of the next decade.

Over the summer, three Republican Senators — John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine.) — sided with the Democrats, casting their votes in opposition of an Obamacare repeal. They appear to be in favor of the updated legislation.

While there is no certainty as to the fate of the GOP’s reinvigorated tax legislation, it does appear to have momentum, and seems to carry with it enough support to potentially become law — a long-overdue death blow to Obamacare.

https://www.conservativeinstitute.org/healthcare/senate-gop-repeals-mandate.htm