Considered by many to be the Democratic Presidential front runner, former Vice President Joe Biden stated on Friday that he has plans to again implement the Obamacare individual mandate that penalized people for not electing into healthcare.
“I think there should be health care for everyone. I have a plan how to do that that’s rational, that’ll cost a hell of a lot less, and will work,” Biden told CNN’s Chris Cuomo during last Friday’s interview.
Biden postulated that fining individuals who did not want to be a part of the national health care program is a good way to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare. According to Lifenews:
The mandate was initially part of the Obama Administration’s Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as Obamacare. As a way to bypass the unconstitutional requirement to force Americans to purchase insurance, the individual mandate was categorized as an income-based tax levy.
“Yes, yes, I’d bring back the individual mandate,” Biden replied when Cuomo inquired further about the unpopular penalty.
“We’re in a situation where if you provide an option for anybody who in fact wants to buy into Medicare for All, they can buy in,” Biden said. “But if they like their employer-based insurance … they shouldn’t have to give it up.”
It’s not necessarily a surprise that Biden is wanting to reinstate Obamacare, and the individual mandate, given the fact that he served two terms as Vice President under President Obama.
But the Obamacare individual mandate unfairly penalized pro life people for not buying insurance plans where the only plans available covered the cost of elective abortions or abortion inducing drugs.
Congress already eliminated the individual mandate, with a new plan that took effect in 2019. However, prior to that, pro life Americans had to pay the opt out penalty of $695.00, or 2.5 percent of household income, whichever was highest.
According to the Daily Signal, which cites data from the IRS, over 6.5 million people paid the Obamacare individual mandate penalty in 2016. The individual mandate was one of the most unpopular parts of Obamacare.
