GOP Senator Hits Health Care Solution He Once Backed As Unconstitutional

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday charted a different course on his opinion of the individual mandate, declaring that the health care reform measure he had once supported as a solution, was now a "violation of our Constitution."

The individual mandate is a provision that requires Americans to purchase health care insurance that, according to the Los Angeles Times, serves as "a coordination mechanism to ensure that everyone participates in a well-functioning private insurance market." The plan is supposed to maximize the number of insured individuals, as well as push cost-effectiveness by preventing healthy or low-risk patients from opting out of coverage, an action that would increase the financial burden on individuals who need medical care more immediately.