The final Republican tax-reform bill unveiled Friday repeals ObamaCare’s individual insurance mandate, leaving the GOP poised to blow a significant hole in the health-care law next week.
The change, which takes effect in 2019, removes one of the least popular parts of ObamaCare, but one that many experts warn is necessary to make the law function smoothly.
Without a mandate, there is less incentive for healthy people to enroll and balance out the costs of the sick. That is expected to lead to premium increases and could lead insurers to drop out of markets, potentially leaving some areas of the country with no coverage options.
Republicans say repeal of the mandate is a form of tax relief, because it lifts a penalty on people who decide not to buy coverage.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that repealing the mandate will increase premiums by 10 percent and cause 13 million more people to be uninsured over a decade, but that markets would remain stable in “almost all” areas of the country.
Some experts say the impact of repealing the mandate has been overestimated, since it was never very effective to begin with, though repealing it would still have some effect.
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#BREAKING: Final GOP tax bill includes ObamaCare mandate repeal https://t.co/CfHZo1EdKB pic.twitter.com/uZ4SMgWw0B
— The Hill (@thehill) December 15, 2017
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