Congress repealed the Obamacare individual mandate; now states are trying to repair the damage

With its passage of the Republican tax bill Wednesday, Congress has successfully repealed a critical component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — but states could still safeguard current health law.

To offset a tax cut — which largely benefits wealthy individuals over the long term — Republican lawmakers repealed the individual mandate. The tax overhaul bill now goes to the president’s desk. Once the bill is signed into law, the mandate will be repealed in 20...

Paul Ryan says ‘nobody knows’ if the tax bill will blow up the deficit. Economists beg to differ.

Though he never deserved the reputation, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is known as a deficit hawk. And yet the tax cut bill he helped shepherd through Congress is projected to add at least $1.414 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade.

During a Wednesday morning appearance on NBC’s Today, Ryan was asked how he, as someone who is supposedly concerned about the deficit, can support a bill that will blow it up.

“I remember you in 2012 doing ev...