Change: Buy Obamacare or Face Jail or a $25,000 Fine
September 26th, 2009Via: Politico:
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.
Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it “Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold.”
The note was a follow-up to Ensign’s questioning at the markup.
Red Herring. One of several of the bill’s poison pills. Move along, nothing to see here.
I ask you one more time folks. NOW do you understand why they don’t want you to own guns???
those that have impoverished us cannot reasonably then punish for impoverishment.
i watch obama chuckle with letterman about the silliness of those fearing death panels…
when corrections is such a growth industry.
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if it weren’t for the sheer seriousness, the hard hard reality, of these matters -the breathtaking breadth and depth of this mass insanity would be profoundly fascinating.
@Zuma
“those that have impoverished us cannot reasonably then punish for impoverishment.”
They have, they can, and they will.
With a nod to Mencken:
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful democrat to reconcile himself to the idea that after all, Obama will not help him.
cleaning out my email, i came across a 14 month old alternet article describing obama’s [then] proffered healthcare reform plan.
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/90650/
By contrast, Barack-Care would build on the current system. It would create a publicly run Medicare-type plan that any employer or individual can buy into. This would provide an additional option for people unhappy with their current insurance. However, those who are pleased with their current insurance would be able to stay with their plan under Barack-Care.
Barack-Care would also reform the private market, prohibiting insurers from charging more to people with health conditions, a rule that is already in place in several states. This would mean workers need not fear being unable to get insurance if they develop a serious illness and lose their job.
Barack-Care would also have subsidies for low- and moderate-income families to ensure they can afford to buy insurance. These subsidies would be financed by a fee assessed on employers who don’t provide insurance. The basic story is that every employer (with a small business exemption) will have to contribute towards their workers’ health care. They can either buy insurance directly, or they can contribute to a general fund to pay for insurance.
I would think the lobbyist’s of all businesses (except health care related ones) would realize how insane it is to have to have health care as an expense on their books when it should be payed for by the taxpayer. I remember the auto industry pointing this out before they got their bailout (perhaps that was the behind the scenes deal, we’ll bail you out now shut up about your health care expenses and how that puts you at a disadvantage to foreign auto makers). Hell even the defense industry would save money if health care was paid for by the tax payer. So either the health industry in the US is more powerful than all other industries combined, or businesses have been shown that it is a needed expense to make sure only productive people (and their families) should have access to non-emergency room health care. It’s probably the later I would guess.