July 6th, 2017 by WCBC Radio

Republicans are trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s mandate forcing nearly all Americans to pay a tax if they don’t have health insurance. But they’ve also  proposed a new penalty of their own for people who go without coverage: a six-month waiting period. Under a provision added last week to the Senate GOP’s health-care bill, an individual who is uninsured for more than 63 days would have to wait half a year to gain new health coverage. Like Obamacare’s mandate tax, the waiting period is a punishment designed to encourage people to maintain insurance coverage rather than wait until they get sick to purchase a plan and drive up costs for everyone else. Most democrats prefer keeping the Obama Care mandate part of the plan, including Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen…