One of the biggest points of contention in Senate Finance Committee's consideration of Max Baucus' health bill is the "individual mandate" requirement.
The GOP is challenging the mandate that everyone carry health insurance or face an excise tax on their income tax returns, The Wall Street Journal reports: "The criticism underscored Republican concerns that the legislation represents unwarranted government intrusion into private matters, and highlighted the partisan divide over the White House's top domestic priority. … Democrats are not likely to budge on having some type of penalty for those who don't carry insurance. They see the penalty as the best way to make sure no one skips coverage" (Hitt and Adamy, 9/23).