Nebraska Congressman Adrian Smith says he would like to see the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate go.

The issue will be negotiated as House and Senate lawmakers reconcile a tax reform bill.

Smith says penalizing individuals for not getting insurance, or buying a different type of coverage, is not fair.

The House-passed bill keeps the individual mandate, but the Senate’s version eliminates it.

Taxpayers would save 338 Billion dollars over ten years without it, but the number of uninsured Americans would rise.

Smith says the proposed tax reform is not revenue neutral, but heads the country in that direction.

The Senate-passed bill will add nearly $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years, not accounting for economic growth.

Smith says tax reform will grow the economy.

The congressman from western Nebraska thinks a negotiated bill can be passed by the end of the year.