It was passed by Congress, signed by the president and upheld by the Supreme Court. But the individual mandate — a requirement that every American buy the kind of insurance deemed appropriate by the federal government — is being repealed by the American people.

From day one, the Obama administration has been handing out exemptions to the mandate. Currently, there are 14 categories of “hardship” exemptions. This week, the March 31 deadline for signing up to avoid the fines was extended.