Yes, for months we on the right have been listing the troubles of Obamacare and have been lampooned for things like “Death Panels”, even though the next week Obama dropped the death panel provisions from the plan. One of the other fears that conservatives have about this plan, indeed about government in general, is the mandatory nature of Obamacare. Well, it turns out that it is much much worse then just paying a fine if you don’t have insurance, you can go to jail!
During hearings Sen. Ensign received a handwritten note (you can see it below) from the Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Thom Barthold (a Democrat appointee) who confirmed that those who fail to pay the $1,900 fine for not having health insurance could also face a year in jail or an additional $25,000 fine.
So, while some may scoff at this as a highly unlikely situation, let me relate my own story from my college days. When I was in law school I made very little to support my family. I waited tables and made maybe 300-400 on a good week. Not bad scratch while you’re in school, but hardly enough to pay all the bills. However, I didn’t want health insurance, we were in our early 20s and were pretty much willing to risk anything that might happen and we did fine. Many thousands of students are in the same predicament.
So now what happens? Suddenly you have thousands of people who can’t afford health-insurance, don’t want health-insurance, but can surely not afford the $1,900 fee/fine for not obtaining insurance either. So what does that mean, we’re just going to start throwing college students in jail? We’ll create class of criminals who did nothing but fail to purchase health-insurance that they didn’t want in the first place. Does anyone see the problem with this besides me?
Note to Sen. Ensign
September 26th, 2009 at 7:36 am
well duh, obviously … you must buy insurance or go to jail
it says that right in the constitution
what part of:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
***** insure *****
domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
did you not understand?
September 26th, 2009 at 8:14 am
The government doesn’t have the power to do this, because I believe health is a personal responsibility that’s why I think we should get rid of medicaid and medicare. Now I believe the government can get people insured through people having private accounts in liquid that will produce revenue and there not taxed, because it’s a free market answer to a big problem. Now I believe we should audit people who are on medicaid so we can prove they can afford it, but don’t tell them they have to buy healthcare and don’t throw them in jail for it.
September 26th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Great idea. I would rather force deadbeats to buy their own insurance, rather than me pay more taxes so they get it for FREE…
September 26th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Why is congress not listening to us?
They don’t care what we think. Both sides are ignoring we the people.
I would like to see them send someone to jail or fine them for not buying insurance. If that doesn’t wake America up, nothing will.
What is next? Jail time for using too much toilet paper.
This President and Congress is our of control.
September 26th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Frank, think about it. Do you really believe that everybody is suddenly going to be able to buy health care just because it’s mandated by the government. Of course not.
The same people who use the emergency rooms for health care now will continue to do so afterwards. National Health Care is merely a scheme to shake down the working class to pay for the health care of the non-working class.
September 26th, 2009 at 10:09 am
So is this what “hope and change” is all about?
September 26th, 2009 at 10:46 am
This has been a concern of mine as well.As a small business owner I can’t afford insurance. Luckily I can go the the VA, but there are many, many people that do not have this option.
On a side note, is the Liberty Tree widget getting fixed? I notice it has not shown any feeds in a few days.
September 26th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
They shouldn’t tax people for not buying health insurance, but create such good tax incentives most everyone who brings in some income would seriously consider it. Putting yet more laws on the books to imprison people over their health care is totally antidemocratic and completely insane. I don’t expect everyone to sign up, and that is why we need some other fixes to the health reform plan that support public city hospitals and affiliations with medical and nursing schools. The cost of jailing someone will be 35 thousand a year or more and just nuts not to mention court and police and holding costs not to forget their health care. all told this brillant idea to jail them would cost the public about a thousand a week a person. its a no go.
September 26th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Madcap, I’ll get McCain to take a look at the liberty tree widget, not sure what’s going on.
September 26th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Bryan:
Isn’t this kinda what Romney did in MA.
September 26th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
It’s a back door way of getting the public option. If everyone must have health insurance, by law, then you must have a public option so those who cannot pay for it or don’t get it from their employer don’t break the law. It would be like having a soc. sec. card, I guess. Co-ops? Where are they? Whose gonna make ‘em? We already got the government.
Beth I sure am glad that Obama dropped the “death panels.” You know, those fictional death panels. The ones in your head.
September 26th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Klo..what in the name of God Almighty do you have against Beth? She’s not even mentioned in this post ,and you slam her every chance you get. Sounds like a personal vendetta to me.
As for going to jail for failure to afford health insurance..you wait…there will be tremendous outrage and an uprising you won’t believe the first time that happens to some hard working, yet barely able to put food on the table soul.
September 26th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
speaking of arresting people, how come the national news didn’t report on the arrests at the G20 pittsburg summit of the many students, about a 100 a night thurs and fri. They were mostly peaceful, a few rocks were thrown, but police dressed in swat and military green uniforms and armored cars with sound cannons assulted the students right in front of the cameras. You can see video of bullying tactics, body tackles, pushing, and grabbing, where police just yank a small female student off a bike without even letting her stop. What is happening to this country? this is exactly the militarization of the police that we should worry about.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Is senator John Ensign asian.
September 26th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
[...] Buy Insurance or go to Jail low Obamacare? ยป Right Pundits [...]
September 27th, 2009 at 7:20 am
The silly cons want everyone to have personal responsibility, and just trust that they do. Right cons, you want everyone to be responsible, but just in case it doesn’t suit your current circumstances you want to be able to skip it.
September 27th, 2009 at 8:53 am
You want to be able to die in the street because you don’t want health care? I believe a court would judge you as incompetent. What is it that you really want? You’re like a spoiled child. You make no sense at all. Maybe Somalia would be more to your liking, no taxes, no government, no regulations and lots of guns. Health care is a necessity. If you don’t want it your gripe is with modern society, but it always has been. Hasn’t it?
September 27th, 2009 at 10:02 am
So I can get arrested for not buying insurance and then use the prison system to receive top notch care while incarcerated. Hey, what do you know, a public option.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:08 am
“So I can get arrested for not buying insurance and then use the prison system to receive top notch care while incarcerated.”
I think you used to be able to get top notch care, but now that it’s a for profit prison system (privately run), the quality has gone way down.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Let’s not forget what this could morph into. In England, while women are giving birth on elevators and in hallways, a prisoner has been cleared to receive transgender surgery.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Then I think the prison system should have a government option RayGun. How dare anybody profit from my criminality. Crime doesn’t pay. Remember?
September 27th, 2009 at 10:40 am
“In England, while women are giving birth on elevators and in hallways, a prisoner has been cleared to receive transgender surgery.”
Err, or worse, 45,000 a year could be dieing for lack of health care according to that commie Harvard study.
How can you cons start with a public option and turn it into complete government run health care? Haven’t you cons done enough damage by scaring the soccer moms and dads?
September 27th, 2009 at 10:46 am
“Then I think the prison system should have a government option RayGun. How dare anybody profit from my criminality.”
I think it used to have a state and federal gov option. And I think they are profiting with state and federal dollars. Guess crime does pay.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:47 am
You want a public option RayGun? Buy a Chevy!
September 27th, 2009 at 10:48 am
“ow dare anybody profit from my criminality.”
—
What did you do again? Kickback, sex crime, idolatry (worship of money), one of the usual con crimes.