In its continuing coverage of the Washington debate over the Affordable Care Act (ACA), POLITICO looked at the latest viewpoints on efforts to repeal the individual mandate, including that of John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care.
"Eliminating the mandate is pulling the plug on the individual market," said John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan. "I think this is a cowardly way of doing it."
The individual mandate is called the "individual shared responsibility payment" and may have to be paid by those who choose not to buy health insurance, even though they can afford it. Senate Republicans are attempting to repeal this mandate in their version of the tax reform bill, which they expect to vote on after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Supporters believe that repealing the mandate will save the government over $300 billion that will in turn be used to cover proposed tax cuts. Opponents state that the move would cause millions of Americans to become uninsured, with a deal-breaking increase in consumer premiums.
Read the full article, “Obamacare mandate repeal may not deliver predicted blow,” by Jennifer Haberkorn and Paul Demko at POLITICO.