Averageman
11-14-17, 17:58
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/senate-gop-tax-bill-will-attack-obamacares-individual-mandate/article/2640660
Senate Republican leaders said Tuesday they would include language in their tax reform bill that would effectively eliminate Obamacare's requirement that everyone buy health insurance.
"We are optimistic that inserting the individual mandate repeal will be helpful," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters. "And that is obviously the view of the Senate Finance Committee Republicans as well."
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, predicted, "We are going to repeal the individual mandate" in the tax bill. And Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., confirmed the plan and said the money saved would help the GOP deliver a tax cut to the middle class.
"It will be distributed in the form of middle-income tax relief," Thune said. "It will give us even more of an opportunity to really distribute relief to middle-income cohorts that could benefit from it."
While Republicans talked about "repeal," the language is expected to keep the individual mandate on the books, but zero out all the penalties that can be applied to people who don't buy insurance. That language will make the individual mandate unenforceable, and will give people the freedom not to buy health insurance as if the mandate weren't there at all. The individual mandate is one of the most unpopular parts of Obamacare, polling has shown.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/360327-thune-senate-tax-bill-will-include-repeal-of-obamacare-mandate
“We’re optimistic that inserting the individual mandate repeal would be helpful and that’s obviously the view of the Senate Finance Committee Republicans as well,” McConnell said.
It will raise an estimated $300 billion to $400 billion over the next year that could be used to pay for lowering individual and business tax rates even further.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the Senate's No. 3 Republican, told reporters there has been a whip count and he is confident Republicans can pass a tax bill that includes a measure to repeal the mandate.
I'm wondering if they have the votes?
Senate Republican leaders said Tuesday they would include language in their tax reform bill that would effectively eliminate Obamacare's requirement that everyone buy health insurance.
"We are optimistic that inserting the individual mandate repeal will be helpful," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters. "And that is obviously the view of the Senate Finance Committee Republicans as well."
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, predicted, "We are going to repeal the individual mandate" in the tax bill. And Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., confirmed the plan and said the money saved would help the GOP deliver a tax cut to the middle class.
"It will be distributed in the form of middle-income tax relief," Thune said. "It will give us even more of an opportunity to really distribute relief to middle-income cohorts that could benefit from it."
While Republicans talked about "repeal," the language is expected to keep the individual mandate on the books, but zero out all the penalties that can be applied to people who don't buy insurance. That language will make the individual mandate unenforceable, and will give people the freedom not to buy health insurance as if the mandate weren't there at all. The individual mandate is one of the most unpopular parts of Obamacare, polling has shown.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/360327-thune-senate-tax-bill-will-include-repeal-of-obamacare-mandate
“We’re optimistic that inserting the individual mandate repeal would be helpful and that’s obviously the view of the Senate Finance Committee Republicans as well,” McConnell said.
It will raise an estimated $300 billion to $400 billion over the next year that could be used to pay for lowering individual and business tax rates even further.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the Senate's No. 3 Republican, told reporters there has been a whip count and he is confident Republicans can pass a tax bill that includes a measure to repeal the mandate.
I'm wondering if they have the votes?