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House|Senate

113th Congress, Vote 363; House of Representatives #2668

Fairness for American Families Act


Official Title: To delay the application of the individual health insurance mandate, to delay the application of the employer health insurance mandate, and for other purposes.

HR 2668: Fairness for American Families Act
Passed by the House January 8, 2015, 240-12 (5 abstaining).

Synopsis: The individual and employer mandates are a vital part of the ACA’s multi-pronged approach to reducing the uninsured rate in the US. The law included a provision requiring almost all Americans to maintain health insurance coverage starting in 2014, along with a requirement that all businesses with at least 50 full-time equivalent employees offer coverage to their full-time (30+ hours) workers starting in 2014.

In both cases, there are financial penalties associated with non-compliance. In the case of the individual mandate, the penalties start out relatively small in 2014, but become more severe in subsequent years.

Republicans in Congress had long expressed dissatisfaction with the mandates, and had already introduced numerous bills to repeal, defund, or delay various aspects of the ACA, including the individual and employer mandates.

Then on July 2, 2013, the Obama Administration announced that the employer mandate would be delayed until 2015 (in February 2014, the Obama Administration issued another delay, this time pushing out the employer mandate until 2016 for employers with 50-99 employees). But no executive action was taken to delay the individual mandate.

Although Congressional Republicans wanted the mandate to be delayed, they bristled at the President’s unilateral action, feeling that such a change should be authorized by Congress. Shortly after the Obama Administration announced that the employer mandate would be delayed, Representative Tim Griffin (R, Arkansas) introduced HR 2667, allowing Congress the chance to put their own stamp on legislation to delay the employer mandate.

In addition, Representative Todd young (R, Indiana) introduced HR 2668 on the same day. HR 2668 encompasses the same provisions as HR 2667, but also calls for delaying the individual mandate. Thus we’re focusing here on HR 2668, as it’s the more comprehensive bill.

HR 2668 calls for a one year delay of all aspects of the individual and employer mandates. In both cases, the mandates wouldn’t be implemented until 2015, and in the case of the individual mandate, the increasing penalties scheduled for 2015 and 2016 would be delayed until 2016 and 2017. Under HR 2668, employer and insurance carrier reporting of coverage would also be delayed by one year, and would begin in 2015 instead of 2014.

Why supporters pushed for this bill

  • Because the employer mandate had already been delayed by the Obama Administration when 2668 was introduced, many supporters focused on the fact that delaying the individual mandate would give individuals the same delay that businesses were getting, and would thus be the "fair" option.
  • The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that HR 2668 would reduce federal budget deficits by $35 billion over the decade from 2014 to 2023. This is primarily due to a reduction in spending on Medicaid and exchange subsidies, since fewer people would enroll in coverage without a mandate.
  • Many HR 2668 supporters view the individual and employer mandates as onerous burdens on citizens and businesses, and as an example of unnecessary government regulation. They see HR 2668’s one-year delay as a step in the right direction.
  • There were concerns in the summer of 2013 that the health insurance exchanges might not be ready to go in time for their October 2013 launch (in retrospect, this was correct, but the problems were rectified long before the end of the first open enrollment period). There were thus some worries that perhaps it would be difficult for people to enroll in coverage for 2014 and comply with the mandate.

Why opponents tried to stop the bill

  • The CBO projected that if HR 2668 were to be enacted, there would be 11 million more people without health insurance in 2014 than there would be if the mandates were not delayed. They estimated that under HR 2668, the uninsured population would reach 55 million people in 2014, whereas it would otherwise be 44 million.
  • HR 2668 opponents noted that the individual mandate is a crucial part of ensuring the success of the insurance exchanges and of bringing about a significant reduction in the uninsured rate. Delaying the individual mandate would just push those accomplishments out another year.
  • Health insurance carriers in most states had already submitted their 2014 rates when HR 2668 was introduced in July 2013. Delaying the individual mandate would have a significant impact on the composition of insurance risk pools in 2014, and carriers wouldn’t be able to account for that until it was time to set rates for 2015.
  • The vast majority of employers with 50+ employees already offered health insurance coverage before the ACA was passed, as it is a vital tool that employers use to recruit and retain employees. So the Obama Administration’s delay of the employer mandate is nowhere near as consequential as HR 2668 would be.
07/17/2013 Status: House passed

More: select a member to see his or her other key health care votes.

Yes (251)
R Don Young AK
R Robert Aderholt AL
R Spencer Bachus AL
R Jo Bonner AL
R Mo Brooks AL
R Martha Roby AL
R Mike Rogers AL
R Tom Cotton AR
R Eric Crawford AR
R Tim Griffin AR
R Steve Womack AR
D Ron Barber AZ
R Trent Franks AZ
R Paul Gosar AZ
D Ann Kirkpatrick AZ
R Matt Salmon AZ
R David Schweikert AZ
D Kyrsten Sinema AZ
D Julia Brownley CA
R Ken Calvert CA
R Paul Cook CA
R Jeff Denham CA
R Duncan Hunter CA
R Darrell Issa CA
R Doug LaMalfa CA
R Kevin McCarthy CA
R Tom McClintock CA
R Howard McKeon CA
R Gary Miller CA
R Devin Nunes CA
D Scott Peters CA
R Dana Rohrabacher CA
R Edward Royce CA
D Raul Ruiz CA
R David Valadao CA
R Mike Coffman CO
R Cory Gardner CO
R Doug Lamborn CO
R Scott Tipton CO
D Elizabeth Esty CT
R Gus Bilirakis FL
R Vern Buchanan FL
R Ander Crenshaw FL
R Ron DeSantis FL
R Mario Diaz-Balart FL
D Joe Garcia FL
R John Mica FL
R Jeff Miller FL
D Patrick Murphy FL
R Richard Nugent FL
R Bill Posey FL
R Trey Radel FL
R Thomas Rooney FL
R Ileana Ros-Lehtinen FL
R Dennis Ross FL
R Steve Southerland FL
R Daniel Webster FL
R Ted Yoho FL
R C. Young FL
D John Barrow GA
R Paul Broun GA
R Doug Collins GA
R Phil Gingrey GA
R Tom Graves GA
R Jack Kingston GA
R Tom Price GA
R Austin Scott GA
R Lynn Westmoreland GA
R Rob Woodall GA
R Steve King IA
R Tom Latham IA
R Raúl Labrador ID
R Michael Simpson ID
D Cheri Bustos IL
R Rodney Davis IL
D William Enyart IL
R Randy Hultgren IL
R Adam Kinzinger IL
R Peter Roskam IL
D Bradley Schneider IL
R Aaron Schock IL
R John Shimkus IL
R Susan Brooks IN
R Larry Bucshon IN
R Luke Messer IN
R Todd Rokita IN
R Marlin Stutzman IN
R Jackie Walorski IN
R Todd Young IN
R Tim Huelskamp KS
R Lynn Jenkins KS
R Mike Pompeo KS
R Kevin Yoder KS
R Garland Barr KY
R Brett Guthrie KY
R Thomas Massie KY
R Harold Rogers KY
R Ed Whitfield KY
R Rodney Alexander LA
R Charles Boustany LA
R Bill Cassidy LA
R John Fleming LA
R Steve Scalise LA
R Andy Harris MD
R Justin Amash MI
R Dan Benishek MI
R Kerry Bentivolio MI
R Dave Camp MI
R Bill Huizenga MI
R Candice Miller MI
D Gary Peters MI
R Mike Rogers MI
R Fred Upton MI
R Tim Walberg MI
R Michele Bachmann MN
R John Kline MN
R Erik Paulsen MN
D Collin Peterson MN
R Sam Graves MO
R Vicky Hartzler MO
R Billy Long MO
R Blaine Luetkemeyer MO
R Jason Smith MO
R Ann Wagner MO
R Gregg Harper MS
R Alan Nunnelee MS
R Steven Palazzo MS
R Steve Daines MT
R Howard Coble NC
R Renee Ellmers NC
R Virginia Foxx NC
R George Holding NC
R Richard Hudson NC
R Walter Jones NC
R Patrick McHenry NC
D Mike McIntyre NC
R Mark Meadows NC
R Robert Pittenger NC
R Kevin Cramer ND
R Jeff Fortenberry NE
R Adrian Smith NE
R Lee Terry NE
R Rodney Frelinghuysen NJ
R Scott Garrett NJ
R Leonard Lance NJ
R Frank LoBiondo NJ
R Jon Runyan NJ
R Christopher Smith NJ
R Stevan Pearce NM
R Mark Amodei NV
R Joseph Heck NV
R Chris Collins NY
R Christopher Gibson NY
R Richard Hanna NY
R Peter King NY
D Daniel Maffei NY
D Sean Maloney NY
D William Owens NY
R Tom Reed NY
R Steve Chabot OH
R Bob Gibbs OH
R Bill Johnson OH
R Jim Jordan OH
R David Joyce OH
R Robert Latta OH
R James Renacci OH
R Steve Stivers OH
R Patrick Tiberi OH
R Michael Turner OH
R Brad Wenstrup OH
R Jim Bridenstine OK
R Tom Cole OK
R James Lankford OK
R Frank Lucas OK
R Markwayne Mullin OK
R Greg Walden OR
R Lou Barletta PA
R Charles Dent PA
R Michael Fitzpatrick PA
R Jim Gerlach PA
R Mike Kelly PA
R Tom Marino PA
R Patrick Meehan PA
R Tim Murphy PA
R Scott Perry PA
R Joseph Pitts PA
R Keith Rothfus PA
R Bill Shuster PA
R Glenn Thompson PA
R Jeff Duncan SC
R Trey Gowdy SC
R Mick Mulvaney SC
R Tom Rice SC
R Marshall Sanford SC
R Joe Wilson SC
R Kristi Noem SD
R Diane Black TN
R Marsha Blackburn TN
R Scott DesJarlais TN
R John Duncan TN
R Stephen Fincher TN
R Charles Fleischmann TN
R David Roe TN
R Joe Barton TX
R Kevin Brady TX
R Michael Burgess TX
R John Carter TX
R K. Conaway TX
R John Culberson TX
R Blake Farenthold TX
R Bill Flores TX
D Pete Gallego TX
R Louie Gohmert TX
R Kay Granger TX
R Ralph Hall TX
R Jeb Hensarling TX
R Sam Johnson TX
R Kenny Marchant TX
R Michael McCaul TX
R Randy Neugebauer TX
R Pete Olson TX
R Ted Poe TX
R Pete Sessions TX
R Lamar Smith TX
R Steve Stockman TX
R Mac Thornberry TX
R Randy Weber TX
R Roger Williams TX
R Rob Bishop UT
R Jason Chaffetz UT
D Jim Matheson UT
R Chris Stewart UT
R Eric Cantor VA
R J. Forbes VA
R Bob Goodlatte VA
R Robert Hurt VA
R Edward Rigell VA
R Robert Wittman VA
R Frank Wolf VA
R Doc Hastings WA
R C. McMorris Rodgers WA
R David Reichert WA
R Sean Duffy WI
R Thomas Petri WI
R Reid Ribble WI
R Paul Ryan WI
R F. Sensenbrenner WI
R Shelley Capito WV
R David McKinley WV
D Nick Rahall WV
R Cynthia Lummis WY
No (174)
Our pick
D Terri Sewell AL
D Raúl Grijalva AZ
D Ed Pastor AZ
D Karen Bass CA
D Xavier Becerra CA
D Ami Bera CA
D Lois Capps CA
D Tony Cárdenas CA
D Judy Chu CA
D Jim Costa CA
D Susan Davis CA
D Anna Eshoo CA
D Sam Farr CA
D John Garamendi CA
D Janice Hahn CA
D Michael Honda CA
D Jared Huffman CA
D Barbara Lee CA
D Zoe Lofgren CA
D Alan Lowenthal CA
D Doris Matsui CA
D Jerry McNerney CA
D George Miller CA
D Grace Napolitano CA
D Nancy Pelosi CA
D L. Roybal-Allard CA
D Linda Sánchez CA
D Loretta Sanchez CA
D Adam Schiff CA
D Brad Sherman CA
D Jackie Speier CA
D Eric Swalwell CA
D Mark Takano CA
D Mike Thompson CA
D Juan Vargas CA
D Maxine Waters CA
D Henry Waxman CA
D Diana DeGette CO
D Ed Perlmutter CO
D Jared Polis CO
D Joe Courtney CT
D Rosa DeLauro CT
D James Himes CT
D John Larson CT
D John Carney DE
D Corrine Brown FL
D Kathy Castor FL
D Theodore Deutch FL
D Lois Frankel FL
D Alan Grayson FL
D Alcee Hastings FL
D D. Wasserman Schultz FL
D Frederica Wilson FL
D Sanford Bishop GA
D Henry Johnson GA
D David Scott GA
D Tulsi Gabbard HI
D Colleen Hanabusa HI
D Bruce Braley IA
D David Loebsack IA
D Danny Davis IL
D Tammy Duckworth IL
D Bill Foster IL
D Luis Gutiérrez IL
D Robin Kelly IL
D Daniel Lipinski IL
D Mike Quigley IL
D Bobby Rush IL
D Janice Schakowsky IL
D André Carson IN
D Peter Visclosky IN
D John Yarmuth KY
D Cedric Richmond LA
D Michael Capuano MA
D William Keating MA
D Joseph Kennedy MA
D Stephen Lynch MA
D James McGovern MA
D Richard Neal MA
D John Tierney MA
D Niki Tsongas MA
D Elijah Cummings MD
D John Delaney MD
D Donna Edwards MD
D Steny Hoyer MD
D C. Ruppersberger MD
D John Sarbanes MD
D Chris Van Hollen MD
D Michael Michaud ME
D Chellie Pingree ME
D John Conyers MI
D John Dingell MI
D Daniel Kildee MI
D Sander Levin MI
D Keith Ellison MN
D Betty McCollum MN
D Richard Nolan MN
D Timothy Walz MN
D Wm. Clay MO
D Emanuel Cleaver MO
D Bennie Thompson MS
D George Butterfield NC
D David Price NC
D Melvin Watt NC
D Ann Kuster NH
D Carol Shea-Porter NH
D Robert Andrews NJ
D Frank Pallone NJ
D Bill Pascrell NJ
D Donald Payne NJ
D Albio Sires NJ
D Ben Luján NM
D M. Lujan Grisham NM
D Dina Titus NV
D Timothy Bishop NY
D Yvette Clarke NY
D Joseph Crowley NY
D Eliot Engel NY
D Brian Higgins NY
D Steve Israel NY
D Hakeem Jeffries NY
D Nita Lowey NY
D Carolyn Maloney NY
D Gregory Meeks NY
D Grace Meng NY
D Jerrold Nadler NY
D Charles Rangel NY
D José Serrano NY
D Louise Slaughter NY
D Paul Tonko NY
D Nydia Velázquez NY
D Joyce Beatty OH
D Marcia Fudge OH
D Marcy Kaptur OH
D Tim Ryan OH
D Earl Blumenauer OR
D Suzanne Bonamici OR
D Peter DeFazio OR
D Kurt Schrader OR
D Robert Brady PA
D Matthew Cartwright PA
D Michael Doyle PA
D Chaka Fattah PA
D Allyson Schwartz PA
D David Cicilline RI
D James Langevin RI
D James Clyburn SC
D Steve Cohen TN
D Jim Cooper TN
D Joaquin Castro TX
D Henry Cuellar TX
D Lloyd Doggett TX
D Al Green TX
D Gene Green TX
D Rubén Hinojosa TX
D Sheila Jackson Lee TX
D Eddie Johnson TX
D Beto O’Rourke TX
D Marc Veasey TX
D Filemon Vela TX
D Gerald Connolly VA
R H. Griffith VA
D James Moran VA
D Robert Scott VA
D Peter Welch VT
D Suzan DelBene WA
D Denny Heck WA
D Derek Kilmer WA
D Rick Larsen WA
D Jim McDermott WA
D Adam Smith WA
D Ron Kind WI
D Gwen Moore WI
D Mark Pocan WI
Not Voting (8)
R John Campbell CA
D G. Negrete McLeod CA
D John Lewis GA
D Rush Holt NJ
D Steven Horsford NV
R Michael Grimm NY
D Carolyn McCarthy NY
R J. Herrera Beutler WA