Senate Tax Bill Would End Health Insurance Mandate

In the United States, Senate Republicans have added a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual health insurance mandate to their plan to overhaul the U.S. tax code. The plan would end a requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance or face a tax penalty—a linchpin in keeping President Obama’s signature healthcare law from collapsing. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office warned Tuesday that the House Republicans’ tax bill would trigger $25 billion in cuts to Medicare next year. Both the House and Senate plans would shower billions of dollars in tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans.