![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
About the individual mandate thing...
Jun. 29th, 2012 05:41 pmI've seen confusion about this else-net. People are screaming that their rights are being violated, this is unconscionable attack on liberty, etc..
You know what the individual mandate says?
You have to buy health insurance, if you are deemed (by the plan) to be able to afford it. No, that's not very happy-making. It's pretty important - you need to avoid the free rider problem, and keep people from waiting until they're older (or sick!) and in need of health care before buying insurance.
So, there is this big, freedom crushing regulation. You have to buy health insurance, if you're deemed to be able to afford it, and if you don't - you'll have the IRS tell you that you owe them money. And you know how the IRS operates, right? Well Congress has put forth some *special* rules for *this*.
First: The IRS will *not* be able to charge you with a crime for not paying. Well - I'm sure that Congress didn't mean to do *that*, I'm sure that was just avoiding the whole "debtor's prison" thing. So, what else?
In addition, the IRS will... uh... be unable to file suit, or attach a lien to your property for not paying this.
Wow.
OH! But the IRS will be able to *SEIZE YOUR TAX RETURN!* Yeah, so, if you get a tax return, KISS YOUR FREEDOM GOODBYE BABY! It's buy health insurance or... uh... adjust your withholding so you don't get a tax refund. Still, that's a pretty diabolical enforcement provision! What if you forget?
You know what the individual mandate says?
You have to buy health insurance, if you are deemed (by the plan) to be able to afford it. No, that's not very happy-making. It's pretty important - you need to avoid the free rider problem, and keep people from waiting until they're older (or sick!) and in need of health care before buying insurance.
So, there is this big, freedom crushing regulation. You have to buy health insurance, if you're deemed to be able to afford it, and if you don't - you'll have the IRS tell you that you owe them money. And you know how the IRS operates, right? Well Congress has put forth some *special* rules for *this*.
First: The IRS will *not* be able to charge you with a crime for not paying. Well - I'm sure that Congress didn't mean to do *that*, I'm sure that was just avoiding the whole "debtor's prison" thing. So, what else?
In addition, the IRS will... uh... be unable to file suit, or attach a lien to your property for not paying this.
Wow.
OH! But the IRS will be able to *SEIZE YOUR TAX RETURN!* Yeah, so, if you get a tax return, KISS YOUR FREEDOM GOODBYE BABY! It's buy health insurance or... uh... adjust your withholding so you don't get a tax refund. Still, that's a pretty diabolical enforcement provision! What if you forget?
