Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) have introduced legislation that would delay the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's individual mandate until 2016.
The Freeing Americans from Inequitable Requirements Act would retroactively suspend penalties under the mandate, which, starting this year, requires Americans to have health insurance coverage or pay a fine. The legislation is a reaction to the Obama administration's recent decision to delay the PPACA's employer mandate a second time for some businesses.
"President Obama does not have the legal authority to unilaterally rewrite laws that pick winners and losers, but that's exactly what this administration has attempted each time it delays the law for a select few," Mr. Scalise said in a news release. "Hardworking taxpayers and their families deserve the same relief from the Obamacare train wreck that select corporations are being offered by the White House."
Earlier this month, the Obama administration delayed the employer mandate by one year until 2016 for businesses with between 50 and 99 employees.
The provision was originally due to take effect this year. However, business groups warned unresolved questions about reporting requirements would cause problems. The Obama administration decided last summer to delay its implementation until 2015 in order to give the government ways to simplify reporting requirements for employers and to adapt health coverage and reporting systems.
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