“Immediate repeal of ObamaCare’s individual mandate next year could cause chaos in the market and threaten coverage for some of the healthcare law’s enrollees, experts warn.
Congressional Republicans have not yet said whether they intend to scrap the mandate right away, but the bill they unsuccessfully pushed last year — and are now using as a blueprint for 2017 — abolished the mandate immediately.
The mandate is one of the most unpopular parts of the law, and Republicans have long decried it as an infringement on freedom, with people forced to buy a product they might not want.
But immediate repeal of the mandate could have severe repercussions, should Republicans seek to leave the rest of the law in place while they draft a healthcare replacement.
Without a mandate, more healthy people are likely to go without health coverage, leaving mostly sick people enrolled in ObamaCare. If that happened, premiums could rise substantially.”
Read more at: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/310648-repeal-of-obamacare-mandate-could-be-tipping-point
Source: TheHill.com – December 16, 2016