Nov
06
Health Care Reform: Pay or go to jail
Posted (Van Santos) in Politics on November-6-2009
It is important to point out this not law, but parts may be taken and included into what may potentially become U.S health care reform. Regardless – holy god does this piss me off.
Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail.  The JCT letter  makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
The above is not someone playing politics with information. It comes directly from a non-partisan committee on all things regarding federal taxation.
Now why does this piss me off? Three reasons.
To begin we need to look at what President Obama said several months ago while addressing a Joint Session of Congress saying:
Now, most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent — but spent badly — in the existing health care system. The plan will not add to our deficit. The middle class will realize greater security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of 1 percent each year — one-tenth of 1 percent — it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term.
If the government is imposting a financial charge upon citizens is not considered a tax, I no longer know what the definition of tax is. How politicians can say the middle class will not feel higher taxes yet they are forcing people to pay for something they may not want is beyond me.
Which comes to the second issue that bothers me. There is not a health care crisis in the United States, there is a health care cost crisis and any law that is passed would not be health care reform but health care insurance reform. If the government was to address the true issue – cost – they would be addressing fraud, waste and tort reform.  They would be addressing the cost issues head on, not trying to divert the publics attention.
Remember, why is it people cannot get insurance?  The cost is too high.  Why is the cost too high? Because medical care costs are almost prohibitive.
Finally, the government should not be telling people what they must or must or must not buy – be it health insurance, be it what kind of car someone drives or be it the food they eat. What the politicians are not saying is WHY they are forcing you to buy health insurance.
Without having the mass population buying insurance, or paying fines, there is little to no way for the government to pay for health insurance.  The Government must TAX everyone in order to the plan to be even semi-self sufficient.
This is all a sham, that why this pisses me off.

It is important to point out this not law, but parts may be taken and included into what may potentially become U.S health care reform. Regardless – holy god does this piss me off.

Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail.  The JCT letter  makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

The above is not someone playing politics with information. It comes directly from a non-partisan committee on all things regarding federal taxation.

Now why does this piss me off? Three reasons.

To begin we need to look at what President Obama said several months ago while addressing a Joint Session of Congress saying:

Now, most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent — but spent badly — in the existing health care system. The plan will not add to our deficit. The middle class will realize greater security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of 1 percent each year — one-tenth of 1 percent — it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term.

If the government is imposting a financial charge upon citizens is not considered a tax, I no longer know what the definition of tax is. How politicians can say the middle class will not feel higher taxes yet they are forcing people to pay for something they may not want is beyond me.

Which comes to the second issue that bothers me. There is not a health care crisis in the United States, there is a health care cost crisis and any law that is passed would not be health care reform but health care insurance reform. If the government was to address the true issue – cost – they would be addressing fraud, waste and tort reform.  They would be addressing the cost issues head on, not trying to divert the publics attention.

Remember, why is it people cannot get insurance?  The cost is too high.  Why is the cost too high? Because medical care costs are almost prohibitive.

Finally, the government should not be telling people what they must or must or must not buy – be it health insurance, be it what kind of car someone drives or be it the food they eat. What the politicians are not saying is WHY they are forcing you to buy health insurance.

Without having the mass population buying insurance, or paying fines, there is little to no way for the government to pay for health insurance. The Government must TAX everyone in order to the plan to be even semi-self sufficient.

Health Care Reform is needed, the cost needs to be addressed, but what is taking place now isn’t trying to fix the issue.  This is all a sham. That is why I’m pissed me off.

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