If the individual mandate were eliminated, the federal government would lose some revenue because the uninsured would no longer have to pay a penalty. Many lawmakers simply argued that adding a major health care element to tax reform could potentially quash the whole bill. "I think tax reform is complicated enough without adding another layer of complexity," said Sen. John Cornyn, the Senate Majority Whip. "What I don't want to do is to add things that could again kill tax reform like health care," he said. "If we put that in tax reform, you got a pay-for right there," he said.

Source: CNN November 01, 2017 23:03 UTC