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Final Tax Bill Should Repeal Individual Mandate, Lawmakers Say

DEC. 7, 2017

Final Tax Bill Should Repeal Individual Mandate, Lawmakers Say

DATED DEC. 7, 2017
DOCUMENT ATTRIBUTES
  • Authors
    Walker, Mark
    Johnson, Sam
    Hensarling, Jeb
    Woodall, Rob
    Flores, Bill
    Allen, Rep. Rick W.
    Babin, Rep. Brian
    Banks, Rep. Jim
    Barr, Rep. Andy
    Barton, Joe
    Biggs, Rep. Andy
    Blackburn, Sen. Marsha
    Budd, Sen. Theodore Paul
    Byrne, Bradley
    Carter, Rep. Earl L.
    Chabot, Rep. Steve
    Cheney, Rep. Liz
    Cole, Rep. Tom
    Cramer, Sen. Kevin
    Davidson, Rep. Warren
    DesJarlais, Rep. Scott
    Duncan, Rep. Jeff
    Franks, Trent
    Gaetz, Rep. Matt
    Gallagher, Rep. Mike
    Gibbs, Rep. Bob
    Goodlatte, Bob
    Gosar, Rep. Paul A.
    Graves, Tom
    Graves, Rep. Garret
    Harris, Rep. Andy
    Hartzler, Rep. Vicky
    Hice, Rep. Jody B.
    Hill, Rep. J. French
    Hudson, Rep. Richard
    Kelly, Rep. Trent
    King, Steve
    Labrador, Raúl R.
    LaHood, Rep. Darin
    LaMalfa, Rep. Doug
    Lamborn, Rep. Doug
    Loudermilk, Rep. Barry
    McClintock, Rep. Tom
    McSally, Martha
    Messer, Luke
    Mooney, Rep. Alexander X.
    Newhouse, Rep. Dan
    Norman, Rep. Ralph
    Palmer, Rep. Gary J.
    Perry, Rep. Scott
    Pittenger, Robert
    Poe, Ted
    Ratcliffe, John
    Roe, David P.
    Rokita, Todd
    Rooney, Francis
    Rothfus, Keith J.
    Scott, Rep. Austin
    Smith, Rep. Jason
    Smith, Lamar
    Walberg, Rep. Tim
    Weber, Rep. Randy K., Sr.
    Wenstrup, Rep. Brad R.
    Westerman, Rep. Bruce
    Williams, Rep. Roger
    Wilson, Rep. Joe
    Yoho, Ted S.
    Rouzer, Rep. David
    DeSantis, Ron
    Ross, Dennis A.
  • Institutional Authors
    U.S. House of Representatives
  • Code Sections
  • Subject Area/Tax Topics
  • Industry Groups
    Health care
    Insurance
  • Jurisdictions
  • Tax Analysts Document Number
    2017-99183
  • Tax Analysts Electronic Citation
    2017 TNT 235-22

Hartzler Supports Repeal of
Individual Mandate in Tax Reform

December 7, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) and 69 conservative lawmakers are writing a letter to House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (TX-08) and Senate Ways & Means Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) asking them to include repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate within the final tax reform bill.

“For too long the American people have suffered from the perils of Obamacare,” Hartlzer said. “Under President Obama’s health plan, premiums have skyrocketed, deductibles have mushroomed, and the health exchanges have crumbled. In 2015 alone, 116,580 Missourians were fined $50 million for failing to comply with the individual mandate. I am proud to ask Chairmen Brady and Hatch to include repeal of this onerous mandate in the final tax bill.”

The full text of the letter:

Dear Chairman Brady and Chairman Hatch:

As you begin conference proceedings related to H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we respectfully request that the final package include a repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate. Including language to repeal this harmful policy will return personal decisions about health care choices to patients, fulfilling a key promise we have made to the American people.

Until enactment of Obamacare, the federal government had never required individuals, as a condition of lawful residence in the United States, to purchase a product from a private company. Yet the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the individual mandate will force approximately 13 million people, who would not voluntarily choose to purchase Obamacare-compliant plans without the threat of federal penalties, to do so. This raises an important question: If Obamacare provides Americans with great health insurance, why would they have to be forced to purchase it?

Obamacare’s coercive individual mandate represents perhaps the worst example of the federal government violating individual freedom and liberty — which is why we have repeatedly promised to repeal it. Repeal of the individual mandate was included in the Senate-passed bill and had earned robust support in the House. We urge you to help fulfill our promise to the American people and include this language in a final conference package.

Sincerely,

Joe Barton

Andy Biggs

Marsha Blackburn

Ted Budd

Bradley Byrne

Earl L. Buddy Carter

Steve Chabot

Liz Cheney

Tom Cole

Kevin Cramer

Warren Davidson

Ron DeSantis

Scott DesJarlais

Jeff Duncan

Trent Franks

Matt Gaetz

Mike Gallagher

Bob Gibbs

Bob Goodlatte

Paul Gosar

Tom Graves

Garrett Graves

Andy Harris

Vicky Hartzler

Jody Hice

French Hill

Richard Hudson

Trent Kelly

Steve King

Raul Labrador

Darren LaHood

Doug LaMalfa

Doug Lamborn

Barry Loudermilk

Tom McClintock

Martha McSally

Luke Messer

Alex Mooney

Dan Newhouse

Ralph Norman

Gary Palmer

Scott Perry

Robert Pittinger

Ted Poe

John Ratcliffe

Phil Roe

Todd Rokita

Francis Rooney

Dennis Ross

Keith Rothfus

David Rouzer

Austin Scott

Jason Smith

Lamar Smith

Tim Walberg

Randy Weber

Brad Wenstrup

Bruce Westerman

Roger Williams

Joe Wilson

Ted Yoho

DOCUMENT ATTRIBUTES
  • Authors
    Walker, Mark
    Johnson, Sam
    Hensarling, Jeb
    Woodall, Rob
    Flores, Bill
    Allen, Rep. Rick W.
    Babin, Rep. Brian
    Banks, Rep. Jim
    Barr, Rep. Andy
    Barton, Joe
    Biggs, Rep. Andy
    Blackburn, Sen. Marsha
    Budd, Sen. Theodore Paul
    Byrne, Bradley
    Carter, Rep. Earl L.
    Chabot, Rep. Steve
    Cheney, Rep. Liz
    Cole, Rep. Tom
    Cramer, Sen. Kevin
    Davidson, Rep. Warren
    DesJarlais, Rep. Scott
    Duncan, Rep. Jeff
    Franks, Trent
    Gaetz, Rep. Matt
    Gallagher, Rep. Mike
    Gibbs, Rep. Bob
    Goodlatte, Bob
    Gosar, Rep. Paul A.
    Graves, Tom
    Graves, Rep. Garret
    Harris, Rep. Andy
    Hartzler, Rep. Vicky
    Hice, Rep. Jody B.
    Hill, Rep. J. French
    Hudson, Rep. Richard
    Kelly, Rep. Trent
    King, Steve
    Labrador, Raúl R.
    LaHood, Rep. Darin
    LaMalfa, Rep. Doug
    Lamborn, Rep. Doug
    Loudermilk, Rep. Barry
    McClintock, Rep. Tom
    McSally, Martha
    Messer, Luke
    Mooney, Rep. Alexander X.
    Newhouse, Rep. Dan
    Norman, Rep. Ralph
    Palmer, Rep. Gary J.
    Perry, Rep. Scott
    Pittenger, Robert
    Poe, Ted
    Ratcliffe, John
    Roe, David P.
    Rokita, Todd
    Rooney, Francis
    Rothfus, Keith J.
    Scott, Rep. Austin
    Smith, Rep. Jason
    Smith, Lamar
    Walberg, Rep. Tim
    Weber, Rep. Randy K., Sr.
    Wenstrup, Rep. Brad R.
    Westerman, Rep. Bruce
    Williams, Rep. Roger
    Wilson, Rep. Joe
    Yoho, Ted S.
    Rouzer, Rep. David
    DeSantis, Ron
    Ross, Dennis A.
  • Institutional Authors
    U.S. House of Representatives
  • Code Sections
  • Subject Area/Tax Topics
  • Industry Groups
    Health care
    Insurance
  • Jurisdictions
  • Tax Analysts Document Number
    2017-99183
  • Tax Analysts Electronic Citation
    2017 TNT 235-22
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