"Several Maryland health groups expressed support Wednesday for a measure that would bring back the individual mandate for health insurance in the state, with what supporters are calling an innovative twist: give the uninsured a choice of either paying a penalty at tax time or making a down payment toward a health insurance plan.

Supporters say it’s a creative way of trying to protect the federal Affordable Care Act in Maryland by reinstating the mandate that the federal government won’t be enforcing in future years, after a change made in the 2017 federal tax overhaul.

“We want to see it passed in Maryland, and then we’re going to start beating the drum and going all around the country and encouraging people elsewhere to take a look at it,” Dorn said." [Stan Dorn, Director of the National Center for Coverage Innovation]

baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/02/13/health-groups-back-down-payment-insurance-plan-in-maryland/amp/