Final answer:
True, the individual mandate was initially supported by the Republican Party as part of market-based reforms to extend healthcare coverage and avoid a government-run system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The idea of an individual mandate was indeed originally suggested and backed by the Republican Party. This is true. The concept of an individual mandate, which requires all Americans to have health insurance or otherwise face a penalty, was first introduced as a conservative idea. It aimed to involve private insurance companies in the extension of healthcare coverage while avoiding a government-run healthcare system.
Republican support for the individual mandate concept dates back to the early 1990s and was a part of alternative health care proposals to counter Democratic plans. Notably, the individual mandate was a central feature of the health care reform enacted by Republican Governor Mitt Romney in Massachusetts, which later influenced the Affordable Care Act (ACA).