Trump Drafting Executive Order To Kill Obamacare's Individual Mandate, Report

Tyler Durden's picture

After having previously cut so-called "cost reduction subsidies" (see: Trump To Scrap Crucial Obamacare Insurer Subsidy) and the marketing budget for Obamacare, Trump is now reportedly ready to also repeal the legislation's controversial "individual mandate" which taxes people who choose to forego health insurance.

According to the Washington Examiner an executive order has already been drafted to scrap the mandate but has not yet been executed only due to ongoing GOP debates over whether or not to include the repeal in the pending tax bill.

The Trump administration has prepared an executive order that would unravel Obamacare's individual mandate, but has put it on hold to see whether it might be included in the Republican tax bill instead, a GOP senator told the Washington Examiner.

 

According to the senator, an executive order is sitting with the Office of Management and Budget waiting for approval. President Trump decided to delay the executive order after Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pushed for the inclusion of the individual mandate repeal in the tax bill, and has been supportive of its inclusion in statements he has made on Twitter.

Obama Legacy

Of course, including the individual mandate repeal in the tax legislation is intended create billions in budget savings and offset lower tax receipts but it could come with the unfortunate side effect of alienating potential mainstream GOP votes in the Senate who refused to support the Obamacare repeal efforts earlier this year.

Including repeal of the individual mandate in the tax bill instead of through executive order would create billions in budget savings that Republicans need to pay for tax cuts. According to a Congressional Budget Office report published in December 2016, repeal of the individual mandate would save $416 billion over a decade, since it would mean fewer subsidy payments to people who sign up. A new CBO report is expected Monday.

 

The repeal is not currently in the tax bill, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but House Speaker Paul Ryan said this weekend that it was on the negotiation table among House Republicans.

 

"We have an active conversation with our members on a whole host of ideas on things to add to this bill and that's one of the things being discussed," he said.

 

The senator who spoke to the Washington Examiner, who asked to remain anonymous, thinks colleagues could embrace repeal in the tax bill, because the revenue generated "pays for so many tax cuts."

According to the Washington Examiner, Trump cannot repeal the individual mandate through executive order, but he can broaden "hardship exemptions," which under Obamacare are left to the discretion of the administration. The exemptions allow customers to have ways to get out of paying the fine for not having coverage, which is $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of income, whichever is higher.

The Obama administration created hardship exemptions for a range of situations, including if someone filed for bankruptcy, experienced a flood, death of a family member, domestic violence or a shut-off notice from a utility company.

Of course, it's only a matter of time until Nancy Pelosi and/or Chuck Schumer take a stage somewhere to tell us precisely how many people will die as a result of Republicans even talking about an "individual mandate" repeal.

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Killtruck's picture

FREEEEEEEEDOM!!

Pull it.

Gap Admirer's picture

Excellent.

Hillary(!) and/or The Bern Feel would have done this as well, correct?

Although I wonder which Obama appointed "judge" will order this stopped as unconstitutional? FREE $HIT FOR EVERYBODY(!!!) and buy what the gubmint tells you to buy or go to jail - It's right there in the Constitution.

hedgeless_horseman's picture

 

Everybody healthy out of Obama's risk pool!

 

D.T.Barnum's picture

He might flip-flop, but if this passes I will acquiesce that he is not totally harmful and worthless.

buzzsaw99's picture

so simple a cave man could do it.

Number 9's picture

if the orange one keeps this up i am about to take back most of the negative things i have said..

most of them

DownWithYogaPants's picture

I am fully convinced John Roberts was blackmailed over his white as mayonaise adopted children from Mexico.

Never One Roach's picture

It's about time!

The unaffordable Obamacare tax mandate has bankrupted and harmed more families then almost any other failed Obama policy.

Partial blame goes to the alt lefties on the Supreme Court who upheld this POS.

Mentally diseased far left, anti-American Ginsberg should be forced to resign or recuse herself from ANY case that involves Trump imo.

anonymike's picture

Its about damned time. Won't be surprised if the insurance lobby,  big pharma and the ama kill the order.

ThePhysicist's picture

Thankfully, genius Democrats wrote the law with a plethora of means to kill it.

Number 9's picture

dear Donnie..

stay away from doctors..

just ask joan rivers about it

Anteater's picture

She crossed the line, and paid the price.

You don't fuck with the New NYC Royals.

 

Kevin Spacey: Frank Underwood Would

Get Behind Trump 'To Shove Him' Under

a Train | TODAY Feb 24, 2016

 

See what I mean?

whatamaroon's picture

I love this President, ~in a manly way.

Arnold's picture

Doing the job the Congress Critters will not.

He a wetback or sumthin?

FreeShitter's picture

He will be 1-13 then, and at least its a start.

DownWithYogaPants's picture

1 in 13 is awesome when you are NOT doing the TPP et al.  Seriously awesome.  

I am still watching:   Donald Trump - Never Come Down (10 HOUR VERSION) 

Anteater's picture

If I buy car insurance, I should be able to take my wreck to three

repair shops and the insurance will pay in full for the best deal.

If I buy health insurance and get sick, I should get covered in full

to buy low-cost Canadian pharmaceuticals, right? Much lower cost.

Nope. Bush2 made it unconstitutional law. Has to be Big Pharma.

If I buy health insurance and need elective surgery or dental care,

I get covered in full to fly to SEAsia for ultra-low cost healthcare?

Nope, MIC Med until your coverage is depleted. Then they take

your life savings. Then they garnish your wages. Then the house.

Face it, America is fucked sideways. 3x more pricey healthcare than

anywhere. #21st in the world in terms of satisfactory life outcomes.

WINNING!! DEATH PANELS!!

 

Miss Expectations's picture

In the meantime, let's get an Executive Order that kills the congressional exemption from Obama Care.

chunga's picture

Wanna crank up a populist uprising? Write two moar...one stripping congress of lifetime benefits...another for term limits effective immediately...no grandfather clause shit.

HotelBread's picture

Followed by the Sauce for the Goose Act, or better yet a Constitutional Amendment, which would make any and all laws passed by Congress applicable to Congress.

 

...which would have to be passed by Congress, of course...

JBilyj's picture

If this is forced into the Tax bill, it will tank its chances of passing and the US economy will go down the crapper. If the tax bill passes, expect a market melt-up!

ali-ali-al-qomfri's picture

heathcare first;

NO SUGAR. ZERO.

NO PROCESSED FOODS.

Eat what Mother Earth provides.

Exercise.

shovelhead's picture

Ok, Mom.

No touching yourself either...You'll go blind.

D.T.Barnum's picture

I bought a special shaver for my hairy palms, stimulates the economy.  Long kleenex and jergens

falconflight's picture

He doesn't have the constitutional authority to amend this or any other law.  Just like Obama did not have the authority to grant waivers to organizations/companies under the same law.  Period.  

RumpleShitzkin's picture

The individual mandate was added by Soweeto using EO.

Consuelo's picture

 

 

Always worthy of mention when it comes to this issue, is the Constitutionality (or muster thereof) of the Individual Mandate - which of course, by any rational means and/or explanation, exists not.  

Just-Us Roberts' needle-threading hyperloop into the parallel universe of taxation via commerce doesn't simply stretch the bounds of credibility, it was then upon interpretation and remains, Illegal...

That likely 2/3 of Congress is $bought & paid for by the industries all-around which benefit from this travesty of justice, continues to be the 10,000 lb. pink elephant stomping the wedding party whilst drugged (literally) patrons go about their way in willful ignorance. 

redmudhooch's picture

The fact that 0care and Citizens United passed SCOTUS tells you all you need to know about America.

100% corrupt.

DownWithYogaPants's picture

It's a mockery of a travesty. 

incharge1976's picture

It passed because certain members of the Supreme Court were threatened. 

redmudhooch's picture

But, but, what about 0bamas legacy?????

TeamDepends's picture

They'll never forget him in the bath houses of Chicongo.  There's that.

johnlocke445's picture

Thank God! This should be the final bullet to end the ugly bitch called Obamacare.

juggalo1's picture

This patchwork repeal is about the worst possible way of moving forward.  Now insurers, regulators, providers and consumers have no clue what the health care structure will look like in 6 months, let alone 2-4 years.  How anyone thinks this is good for the US consumer or broader economy is a mystery to me.  I hope voters understand that executing government policy in a crappy workaround way, that is in fact designed to fail, will inflict far more damage than just cleanly and openly enacting policy changes.  Hopefully they hold the responsible parties accountable.  Who am I kidding?  They won't.

falconflight's picture

People, the individual mandate is law, and a President cannot amend a law with an Executive Order.  I have been impressed with Trump, but he could be impeached for violating a basic tenet of this constitutional republic; a brazen usurpation of Legislative prerogative.  Of course Obama should have been impeached for the hundreds of ACA violations with providing via an EO company waivers and subsidies to states who had not expanded Medicaid under the ACA. It is always about the Constitution.

RumpleShitzkin's picture

The mandate was created using EO.

dnttgotus's picture

Just received my new rate (I live in Maryland and have BCBS), monthly premium went from 567.79 to 822.45 (44.85% Increase).  Kill the mandate!