A Tax By Any Other Name Is Still a Tax

If you’re looking for President Obama, you won’t find him on the golf course, or at the White House. He’s over at John Robert’s house, washing and waxing the Chief Justices automobiles. The President got a massive gift from the Robert’s court yesterday and it was gift wrapped by the Chief Justice himself.

Obamacare is a now a fact of life. At least until the next election when republican lawmakers have promised to overturn it, or at least defund it. Over the next few years more and more costs, taxes, restrictions and guidelines are going to be put into place by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. That’s the agency responsible for defining costs and coverage’s of the Affordable Care Act. Some parts of the healthcare act will be good — many will not be good.

What Exactly Do People Want With Their Healthcare?

The majority of people who are currently covered by healthcare stated they are happy with their current policy. Most want healthcare reform but don’t alter their particular plan. Healthcare is broken; but my healthcare plan is fine.

Here’s my problem with this whole healthcare issue. One, a large portion of the healthcare law has not been written or even defined yet.

How is it possible for people to be so emotional about a law they know absolutely nothing about? I can’t find a single source that defines what’s covered and/or not covered by the Affordable Care Act.

Don’t You Want to Know What’s Covered?

Will it cover everyone totally? Are there deductibles? If so, what are they, and how much will they be? Will it cover mental illness? Aids? Abortions? Sex change operations? Limb replacement? Transplants? Cosmetic surgery? How will premiums be determined? Who decides how much those premiums would be? Can you appeal high premiums? What groups, or special interests, get subsidies for healthcare?

Will employers have any increased costs or tax breaks from this law? The questions are endless. Do I have to pay more for fat, smokers? It’s one thing to say you will cover pre-existing conditions, but what if the doctor won’t take new Medicaid or Medicare patients? I’m aware you can’t be turned away from an emergency room, but as a regular patient, can a doctor or hospital be forced to treat your condition? If so, how will the quality of that forced care be measured? Will travel to a specialist be covered by this act?

Affordable Care Act Will Clamp Down On Insurance Company Profits

Who exactly is making the big profits from healthcare?

• Of the 138 health plans in the United States with at least 100,000 medical enrollees, 84 or 61% are nonprofit.
• Of the 203,203,306 total medical enrollees of these 138 health plans, 97,931,924 or 48% are in nonprofit health plans.

(Source: Alliance for Advancing Non-Profit Healthcare)

A Tax? Are You Sure?

A Tax? Are you kidding me? Forcing me to buy something has to violate the constitution doesn’t it? Justice Roberts, in his ruling, did determine that the forced purchase of health insurance would be unconstitutional. However, if there is another alternative presented that is not unconstitutional, then that alternative must be considered to “Save The Law.”

Justice Roberts wrote: “ Under the mandate, if an individual does not maintain health insurance, the only consequence is that he must make an additional payment to the IRS when he pays his taxes. (See: §500 A(b). That, according to the Government, means the mandate can be regarded as establishing a condition — not owning health insurance — that triggers a tax — the required payment to the IRS. Under that theory the mandate is not a legal command.”

Some Final Thoughts

In case you are having a hard time understanding the paragraph above let me try to explain it. A mandate to buy insurance gives you no choice in the matter. That violates the constitution and that was thrown out.

Replacing it is a choice that Robert’s considers constitutional. Buy health insurance, or pay a fine; whoops sorry, additional tax to the IRS for not maintaining an government approved healthcare policy.

I guess it’s understandable that if the Affordable Health Care Act had been presented to the American people as a tax, it would have had a much harder time getting through congress. Especially with high unemployment and unstable economic conditions.

Now that you know, how does that make you feel? Are you happy it passed the court test, or do you feel your government officials were not completely honest with you when this plan was introduced? Thoughts?