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Senate Republicans have included a repeal of Obamacare’s individual mandate in the latest version of their tax reform bill. Some Democrats have reacted by claiming that the repeal of the mandate is actually a tax increase, and that mandate repeal “kicks” people off coverage they didn’t want to buy. Welcome to 2017. ... The “mandate repeal is a tax hike” argument seems ludicrous on its face. Why would repealing a tax—the fine that you pay if you find Obamacare’s coverage unaffordable—represent a tax increase? (Avik Roy, 11/16)

If Obamacare’s requirement to have health insurance is revoked by Congress, some people will choose to go without it, and the government will save money because it won’t have to pay to subsidize their plans. Almost everyone agrees on that. But precisely how much the individual mandate matters, and who would really be worse off without it, are trickier questions. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 11/17)

The House passed its version of a tax bill Thursday with zero support from Democrats. That plan is bad enough, but the one festering in the Senate is even worse. It is an attack on Californians and low- and middle-income citizens across the nation. Republicans are ready to sabotage Americans’ health care, including Medicare for senior citizens, to deliver tax breaks to the richest Americans and the corporations they control. Including Donald Trump’s. (11/17)

Insurance companies lobbied hard for Obamacare — who wouldn’t want a law requiring every American to buy your product? In effect, Obamacare turned insurance plans into something no rational person would buy, then forced people to buy them anyway. If the Senate tax plan succeeds in repealing the mandate, individuals won’t be forced to purchase an inferior product. Those poor insurance companies will have to persuade people their plans are worthwhile, and that includes keeping premiums and deductibles low — which is how the free-market system is supposed to work. (Christian Schneider, 11/17)

The Affordable Care Act clearly isn’t “dead,” as President Donald Trump declared a month ago. But despite some surprisingly large sign-up numbers for the first two weeks of open enrollment, it’s way too early to tell just how big a toll Trump’s war on the program has taken ― or how many people will end up with insurance by Dec. 15, the deadline for obtaining 2018 coverage. That’s what you’ll hear from most experts who follow the issue closely. It’s also what you’ll hear from people like Jodi Ray, who is the project director for Florida Covering Kids and Families, a nonprofit that has spearheaded state efforts to get residents health insurance under “Obamacare.” (Jonathan Cohn, 11/19)

For years, doctors, patients and lawmakers have rightly complained federal rules and regulations make it all but impossible for states to reform and innovate Medicaid. But last Tuesday, Seema Verma, the chief administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, promised a “new era” of flexibility and accountability for the program. By expanding access to one of Medicaid’s flexibility provisions known as Section 1115 waivers, the Trump administration is offering a bold option for states that want to improve health care for their poor and disabled citizens. (Tim Huelskamp, 11/19)

Chaos in Washington distracts us from the political dysfunction and lost opportunities here in Georgia. Because the state has chosen not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, more than 300,000 low-income Georgians, the majority working in low-paying jobs that don’t provide coverage, remain in the coverage gap, without affordable health insurance options. (Harry Heiman, 11/19)