I had to get my two cents in here.
SHOMARI STONE, KOMO 4 NEWS: Madame Speaker, I'm Shomari Stone from KOMO 4 news. I have a question for you that hasn't been pointed out but a lot of Americans feel this way. Do you think it's fair to send people to jail for not buying health insurance?
PELOSI: Well the point is -- is that we want make sure that everyone has access to health care. For a long time now people who haven't had health care or provided it have placed the burden on others. Everybody is paying the price for uncompensated care-I don't need to tell you that-in a hospital. And so this is -- is to say that we all have to do our part and that is the point of the bill.
STONE: But Madame Speaker, I'm just trying to understand, if you don't buy health insurance, you go to jail? You didn't answer my question.
PELOSI: Well, the point, there is -- I think the legislation is very fair in this respect. It gives people an opportunity to have health care, access to quality health care. If they can't afford it, it provides subsidies for them to do so. But do you think it's fair if somebody says, I'm just not going to have any, if I get sick, then I'll just go to the emergency room and send the bill to you. That's my view on the subject.
"Do you think it's fair to send people to jail for not buying health insurance?" (This comment is a dodge.) In fact, the penalty under the House health care reform bill for failure to purchase insurance is a tax, not jail time, and willful failure to pay federal income taxes can result in civil or criminal penalties.
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Although the writer above is correct that there is no up front 'jail' penalty for not being insured, the statement is false, taken to it's logical end. The 'jail' penalty is part of the IRS enforcement of the plan. Peloser has enlisted the IRS to collect a 'tax' for not having the appropriate amount of insurance for you and your loved ones. If you do not pay the tax, off to the interment camp with you.
So, in fact, there is a jail penalty for not being insured. And clearly, Peloser is ubber evasive when questioned about it.
Real Clear Politics: "Pelosi On Jail Time For No Health Care: 'The Legislation Is Very Fair In This Respect.' "
The avalanche of writers decrying the 'jail time' component of Peloser's bill is certainly telling. They continue to point out that the IRS is responsible for first levying a tax and then collecting or penalizing for failure to pay said tax. The comment that; most tax issues are settled outside of a court of law or the cell of a jail have no bearing on the fact that jail for non-payment is still possible and as time goes on, more and more likely.
They say the penalty for not being insured is a tax, not jail. Will someone please explain to me, how someone who already can not pay for their insurance will be able to pay the tax levied on them for not paying their insurance and then how will they avoid jail if they don't have the money?
As more and more people end up jobless or in a much worse financial situation than they are accustomed to, the likelihood of non-payment will increase exponentially. Along with that will be the likelihood of JAIL!
Using the IRS as an enforcement arm to the Congress has been realized. To use the IRS as a way to impose penalties for legislation is thinly veiled fascism.
