Congress approved zeroing out the individual mandate penalty in December after a year of failed efforts to repeal the ACA.
The individual mandate was considered one of the most unpopular part of the ACA. Some Americans were upset at the idea of being told what to do, and they especially don’t like getting whacked with a penalty at tax time.
So, killing the mandate wasn’t as politically problematic as cutting a more popular aspect of the ACA, such as Medicaid expansion or essential health benefits.
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