Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney now says the health insurance mandate in the Affordable Care Act is a "tax."

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the mandate survives under the taxing powers of Congress, Romney's campaign referred to it as a penalty. But with most Republicans calling it a tax, Romney has shifted his views on the controversy.

“The Supreme Court has the final word, and their final word is that Obamacare is a tax,” Romney said in an interview with CBS News. “So it’s a tax. They decided it was constitutional. So it is a tax, and it’s constitutional.”

When he was governor of Massachusetts, Romney advocated and signed into a law an insurance mandate. He continues to refer to it as a penalty.

American Indians and Alaska Natives who receive care through the Indian Health Service, tribes, Alaska Native entities and urban Indian organizations are exempt from the insurance mandate.

Get the Story:
Romney: Health-care mandate is a tax (The Washington Post 7/5)
Romney Now Says Health Mandate by Obama Is a Tax (The New York Times 7/5)

Supreme Court Decision:
NFIB v. Sebelius (June 28, 2012)

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