President Barrack Obama had promised time and again during the Presidential debates with Senator John McCain that under Obama administration individuals earning less than 200,000 per year will not have any tax increases, whatsoever.
Page 324 , section 1501 of the Senate healthcare bill not only breaks President Obama’s promise not to raise taxes on people earning 200,000 per year or less, but also forces penalty or jail time for people exercising their constitutional right of freedom and liberty, and refusing to buy something they don’t want or they don’t need.
Many individuals under 25, who are healthy, rarely visit the doctor. They currently may not buy health insurance, and may not feel the need to buy one. They would rather find it cheaper for them to pay out of pocket, if they were to visit the doctor. And they would have the right to do so, in any free country.
Health insurance is not like automobile liability insurance. Automobile liability insurance covers damages to OTHER drivers on the road, in case of an accident. Comprehensive / Collision auto insurance covers damages to SELF. The Government can force someone to buy liability insurance ONLY, not Comprehensive / Collision insurance. The Government can force someone to buy insurance only to cover direct damages to others, not to themselves. According to the constitution, an individual has the freedom / liberty to “buy” or “refuse to buy” things for himself / herself, as long as it doesn’t directly impact others. The Government cannot mandate things that impact only and only the person in question, self.
Health insurance is not like Liability automobile insurance. Health insurance is more like Comprehensive / Collision auto insurance. It impacts ONLY self, not others. The Government has no right to force a person and mandate him / her to buy health insurance.
But our current Government under President Obama is all bent on taking away our freedom / liberty offered by the constitution. According to page 324, section 1501 of Senate Health Care bill, starting in 2014, anyone not buying “qualifying” health insurance will be penalized with the below:
Year 2014:
Single: $94
Single + 1 $190
Single+2: $285
Year 2015:
Single: $350
Single + 1 $799
Single+2: $1050
Year 2016:
Single: $750
Single + 1 $1500
Single+2: $2250
Anyone refusing to pay this penalty for failure to buy insurance will be sent to Jail! Yes sent to jail for exercising their freedom offered by constitution, and choosing not to buy something they don’t need.
Shockingly, President Obama’s administration says illegal immigrants and undocumented workers will not have to pay this penalty nor sent to jail, and they will be exempted from it.
Thanks Mr President, thanks for taking away the freedom and liberty of American citizens. Thanks Mr President, thanks for imposing $2250 penalty or jail time on us for exercising our constitutional right to choose what to buy and what not to buy, and what we need and what we don’t need.
Thanks Mr President for always standing with the illegal immigrants, and saying, they will not be subjected to these harsh rules and penalties or jail time.
Ref:
Text from the bill at:
http://www.opencongress.org/senate_health_care_bill?version=ocas&nid=ocuo_nid_998
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) APPLICABLE DOLLAR AMOUNT. For purposes of paragraph (1) (A) IN GENERAL. Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C), the applicable dollar amount is $750. (B) PHASE IN. The applicable dollar amount is $95 for 2014 and $350 for 2015. (C) SPECIAL RULE FOR INDIVIDUALS UNDER AGE 18. If an applicable individual has not attained the age of 18 as of the beginning of a month, the applicable dollar amount with respect to such individual for the month shall be equal to one-half of the applicable dollar amount for the calendar year in which the month occurs. (d) INDEXING OF AMOUNT. In the case of any calendar year beginning after 2016, the applicable dollar amount shall be equal to $750, increased by an amount equal to (i) $750, multiplied by (ii) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year, determined by substituting calendar year 2015 for calendar year 1992 in subparagraph (B) thereof. If the amount of any increase under clause (i) is not a multiple of $50, such increase shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of $50.
Comments
But what about the liberal "tyranny of judges" Judges act with impunity. Wise lantina judges know better than white males. Corruption rules the new world order.
Raj,
If you are TRUELY a Democrat writing this then I guess I have SOME hope for this country. Thanks for putting this out.
But arbitrarily targetting people by ANY income is not right. It is unAmerican. The same sense of indignity you feel about < 200,000 is felt by others about > 200,000. Even by those that don't make >200,000.
Solutions to the Access of Health Care Should NOT come by dividing people or by punishing people. The fact that these Bills DO, tells us that MUCH MORE than Health Care is the actual Goal of these Bills.
Remember they are GUTTING Medicare to do this. And THAT isn't fair either. Real Solutions DO NOT have to come at the expense of one Group of citizens against another. As America we should be able to do much better than these Bills.
@jaime, I am a registered Democrat , a 2 decade long Clinton supporter. And voted and campaigned for Hillary in 4 states during 2008 primaries!
Raj,
Where's the part about jail time? This excerpt only mentions a fine.
Cool Raj.....You seem to be on the correct side of the issue. I am a Conservative and I feel as you do about this.
I refuse to pay for this.They can arrest me for operating a body without insurance.Why isn't this a huge story?
Hey Guys --
Don't take this "laying down"; spread the word -- go viral; boycott the states who send these congressmen to ruin your lives; don't wait 'til election day -- that's too late.
Paulette and Jeff are Right!! ORGANIZE, more marches on DC. Throw them ALL OUT!!!
Its not about health care. Its about health insurance. To help those who cannot afford the cost of health insurance, why not have the government help support the health clinics that already exist with health workers fresh out of school who wish to have their federal loans reduced with public service?
OK. I agree jail time isn't cool at all. But what is the solution. Sorry, I don't want someone fresh out of med school working on my children's bodies or mine. Or other people. My dad taught pre-med students and helped them through Medical School. That isn't a good answer and where are these clinics. The ones around here for the uninsured have been shut down mostly. And you have to stand in line and hope to get in.
I have to disagree about not harming others. When a person gets sick and hits the ER or hospital (my husband had testicular cancer at 22) uninsured, it affect directly insurance rates and taxes the health care system.
Also, check your facts on Medicare (I am on it). Medicare Advantage plans are hurting people on Medicare and there was a recent vote to protect seniors. That is what I heard.
Honestly, come up with a solution. I will listen, but it has to be reasonable. I am hoping for a really good one as I am not totally happy with the behavior of Con
So where does it say anything about jail? Do you have a link that actually backs up your claim? I came here to find one. Still looking.
If individuals deserve the right to refuse buy health insurance than doctors and hospitals should have the right to refuse to treat them. No more freebies in the ER. If they ever get hit by a car the EMTs should take them the morgue instead of the hospital, unless these people have the THOUSANDS of dollars up front to pay for their treatment. Only fair. But Americans want everything for free!
This entire article is based on a fundamental error. Illness and injury do not have set costs that are predictable. Most of the 25 year olds you refer to can't afford the cost of treating cancer or massive trauma out of pocket, especially not if the illness makes them economically non-viable for months on end.
Being 25 doesn't make one immune to being hit by a drunk driver, and an accident can leave one with tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and might leave one disabled an unable to ever recoup those costs.
Someone has to compensate hospitals and doctors for the treatment of injuries. That someone inevitably ends up being the rest of us, with our costs rising to cover the costs of the uninsured. So your premise, that "health insurance is not like liability automobile insurance. Health insurance is more like comprehensive / collision auto insurance. It impacts ONLY self, not others." is patently false. And thus your entire argument is false.
Where does it say you go to jail? I read the reference and the bill, but all I see is a fine. Where is the part about jail time?
Shelly,
If you read Raj's link about a dozen paragraphs down just above the Chapter 48 heading, it clearly states that not only will NO CRIMINAL PENALTIES be applied but that the government can't place LIENS or LEVIES against your property!
This is it for me,nothing has made me as angry as this mandate!I switched to Republican,i write articles encouraging people to vote Republican.There is no way in Hell i am buying insurance against my will.All the politicians who voted for it should be in jail.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!