Time has come to repeal the Obamacare individual mandate

Senators have passed tax reform legislation that includes a repeal of Obamacare’s individual mandate. In this writer’s opinion, the House of Representatives, which passed its version of tax reform without such a repeal, should now follow the Senate’s lead. The individual mandate is a gross violation of individual liberty and is not helping to make insurance more affordable. A penalty on people who do not purchase health insurance, the individual mandate cost $695 or 2.5 percent of income (whichever is greater) for noncompliance in tax year 2017. Supporters of Obamacare claim the Constitution’s Commerce Clause gives Congress the power to force people to buy health insurance. While the Founding Fathers did give government the power to regulate commerce, nowhere did they say it could be used to require individuals to purchase insurance.