Sen. John Thune (R-SD) confirmed to reporters Tuesday that the new Senate tax bill will indeed include a provision to repeal Obamacare's individual mandate. President Trump is sure to be pleased, as he urged Congress to add the repeal provision on Monday.
Not so optimistic are a group of doctors and insurers who wrote a letter to congressional leaders asking them to reconsider. The consequences of eliminating the mandate, they write, will be dire.
BREAKING: The nation's doctors, hospitals, and insurers: the tax bill will destabilize the market and "result in a significant increase in premiums, which would in turn substantially increase the number of uninsured Americans." pic.twitter.com/JSuehhhzFE
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) November 14, 2017
Thune, however, tells the press that the revenue from the individual mandate will be redistributed to middle class families. He is confident the Senate tax bill has the 50 votes it needs. Before Tuesday's announcement, some Republicans had expressed their concerns that revisiting a partial Obamacare repeal would be too controversial.
Democrats join the above group of physicians and insurers in expressing their outrage over this late addition to the tax bill. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi calls it a "tax scam."
“Tens of millions of middle class families will pay higher taxes under the GOP tax scam, and now Republicans want to force them to pay higher health premiums too," she said in a statement Tuesday. "Republicans’ addiction to repealing the Affordable Care Act and raising Americans’ health costs makes a terrible tax bill downright deadly.
"Have they no heart?" Pelosi asked in a tweet.