Outside the Beltway: States Consider Prohibiting the Individual Mandate
Brandon Stewart /
The Washington Post reports that the Virginia Senate passed a measure yesterday that that would prohibit the imposition of the individual mandate — a feature of both the current House and Senate health care bills. Besides being the first state to adopt such a measure, it is especially remarkable coming out of the Virginia Senate, where Democrats hold the majority. As The Post reports, the measure came “less than a week after President Obama implored Democrats in Washington not to abandon their health-care efforts” during the State of the Union.
According to another story in the Associated Press, an increasing number of state legislatures have begun considering such legislation. The individual mandate — which would force all U.S. citizens to purchase health insurance — has outraged many Americans and has led to a public backlash against the proposal.