After several unsuccessful attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act in recent years, two leading Republicans Tuesday embarked on a new strategy in the healthcare fight.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican who is the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, unveiled a bill called the American Liberty Restoration Act that would repeal the individual insurance mandate, which is widely regarded as one of the centerpieces of the legislation.
In a statement, Hatch said the law is increasing healthcare costs and family taxes, while hurting job creation and patient care.
"What's more, it for the first time in our nation's history requires every American to purchase insurance even if they don't want it," he said. "The legislation we are introducing today is simple: it strikes the individual mandate so we can instead find ways of providing people with healthcare, but in a manner that doesn't run counter to our constitutional framework of limited government"
Many provisions of the Affordable Care Act become law in phases, with the individual insurance mandate set to become law in 2014. The law requires every American to be insured or face financial penalties. Since the law was enacted, more than 30 votes have been held in the House alone to repeal all or part of the legislation.
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