“For us to say that you’ve got to take responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase,” President Barack Obama told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in September 2009, when a divided Congress was wrestling over the controversial measure.
The reason was obvious: Mr. Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress didn’t want to get tagged with the pro-tax label. Calling it a “penalty” was more palatable to lawmakers who had to stand before their constituents.
But last Thursday, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court said the individual mandate provision in Obamacare — the linchpin that holds it together — was constitutional under the federal government’s taxing powers.
In other words, Obamacare does constitute a tax.
As a wise man once asked, “Were you lying then, or are you lying now?”
Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion Thursday, essentially put the “tax” label on Obamacare. At the same time, he put this sign on the Democratic Party: “The party of taxes.” ... Here’s how that tax will be phased in during the first three years of Obamacare for individuals who don’t have health insurance. It will be due when they file their federal income taxes for each year:
* 2014: A $94 tax, or a tax that equals 1 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater.
* 2015: A $325 tax, or a tax that equals 2 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater.
* 2016: A $695 tax, or a tax that equals 2.5 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater.
By year three, that’s a stiff hit to a lot of wallets. No wonder the president and his allies preferred the word “penalty.”
Americans need better access to health care and more affordable coverage. If the president supports new taxes to pay for his plan, that’s his choice. But Mr. Obama and the Democrats can’t have it both ways. They can’t claim that Obamacare is good for the nation and argue that it’s not an additional tax.
Hence, “The party of taxes” label, courtesy of the Supreme Court. It fits. The president and other Democrats will be wearing it in November.
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To-ma-toe, Pot-ta-to-Po-tat-o, let's call the whole thing off.
As a medical student, I'm sick of people not only misrepresenting Obamacare (which, by the way, does not benefit those of us looking to go into family practice in the future), but displaying an incredible amount of ignorance regarding just how health care was paid for BEFORE Obamacare- by those of us with enough responsibility to actually have health insurance and pay our taxes.
Mooching states like Georgia benefit far more from federal money than, say, a state like California, where WE pay a disproportionate share of programs that YOU benefit from. However, that's the price to pay in a society where we believe in social responsibility. What's disheartening is that conservatives in red states such as Georgia have no interest in social responsibility OR personal responsibility- you'd rather just mooch of those of us in blue states who are paying for your programs, then complain about it.
Too many working poor don't have access to insurance and when they end up really sick and in the ER, we all pay in higher medical costs. I has a simple CT scan and it was several thousand of dollars. One night in the hospital was over $15,000 and that didn't include lab test, doctor fees, other tests, the surgeon's fee and on and on. How do you expect an uninsured people making $25,000 a year to pay that kind of money. No, they go bankrupt and YOU get to foot the bill.