Fitzpatrick calls for delaying health care mandate
U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick is leaving Congress after four terms. His younger brother, Brian, has announced will seek the seat in the GOP primary in April. (AP file photo)
U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick is calling on President Obama to delay the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.
That would reset the deadline for having insurance or facing a penalty.
Various aspects of the Affordable Care Act must be reformed or repealed, said Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks.
“Is this program ready to roll? If the answer is no, you have to delay it. That one-year delay will give the administration time to fix the serious problems, the serious flaws, in both the technology and the policy.
“Frankly, it will give others the opportunity to take a solid second look at the whole program and find out if we’re heading in the right direction,” he said.
In a letter to the president, Fitzpatrick cited some Democrats who support delaying the individual mandate.
Because the administration is releasing so little hard information on who has been able to get coverage through the health exchanges, Fitzpatrick said., Congress can’t know how soon the program will be fully functional.
This week, Obama clarified that March 31 will be the deadline to register for a plan without penalty. Those who want coverage starting Jan. 1 will need to sign up by Dec. 15.
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