Committee Confirms: Comply With Pelosi-Care Or Go To Jail

Yes, there are provisions in the health care bill now being debated in the House of Representatives which would impose fines and jail sentences on small business owners and on individuals who do not comply with requirements to purchase health insurance as defined by the legislation.

Encouraging (no enforcing) behavior through taxation is not a new tactic. It's been used by our federal and state governments and our communities now for a very long time to discourage and "punish" those who purchase legal products which some, a majority, of their fellow citizens deem distasteful or unhealthy.

But prison terms for non-compliance in regard to a matter of personal choice such as the type health insurance one selects? This is a new level of authoritarian governmental control that should alarm and arose every individual in this country. Unacceptable. Totally, totally unacceptable.   ~~~   S. Lane

See Letter, Joint Committee on Taxation:

“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.”[page 1]

- – - – - – - – - -

“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]

- – - – - – - – - -

“Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses.  Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

When confronted with this same issue during its consideration of a similar individual mandate tax, the Senate Finance Committee worked on a bipartisan basis to include language in its bill that shielded Americans from civil and criminal penalties.  The Pelosi bill, however, contains no similar language protecting American citizens from civil and criminal tax penalties that could include a $250,000 fine and five years in jail.

“The Senate Finance Committee had the good sense to eliminate the extreme penalty of incarceration.  Speaker Pelosi’s decision to leave in the jail time provision is a threat to every family who cannot afford the $15,000 premium her plan creates.  Fortunately, Republicans have an alternative that will lower health insurance costs without raising taxes or cutting Medicare,” said Camp.

According to the Congressional Budget Office the lowest cost family non-group plan under the Speaker’s bill would cost $15,000 in 2016.

Committee Confirms: Comply With Pelosi-Care Or Go To Jail