Health care mandate will affect under 5 percent, study finds

The analysis said 98 percent of Americans would either be exempt from the mandate -- because of employer coverage, public health insurance or low income -- or given subsidies to comply...

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According to a recent study conducted by the Urban Institute, a non-partisan Washington D.C. based research organization, the “individual mandate” proposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — the requirement that individuals either have health insurance or pay a fine — surprisingly, if it were in effect today, would only impact around five percent of the population. The Huffington Post reports on the story:

WASHINGTON — Just 2 percent of the U.S. population would be subject to the aspect of health care reform at the center of a constitutional challenge before the Supreme Court this week — the individual mandate, a study released Monday by the Urban Institute found. The analysis said 98 percent of Americans would either be exempt from the mandate — because of employer coverage, public health insurance or low income — or given subsidies to comply.

Including those who are subject to the mandate, but would get subsidies, increases the total number of people affected to 5 percent of the population, according to the Urban Institute, a non-partisan policy research organization based in Washington, D.C. (Some of those subject to the mandate who get subsidies would still need to dig into their pocket to cover the difference.)

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