Senate Dems Say You Will Have Health Insurance Whether You Want It Or Not

Say, you’re young, single, and healthy. You want to save some money by not paying for health insurance…that’s your business, right?

Wrong.

Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than $1,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fines will raise around $36 billion over 10 years. Senate aides said the penalties would be modeled on the approach taken by Massachusetts, which now imposes a fine of about $1,000 a year on individuals who refuse to get coverage. Under the federal legislation, families would pay higher penalties than individuals.

In a revamped health care system envisioned by lawmakers, people would be required to carry health insurance just like motorists must get auto coverage now. The government would provide subsidies for the poor and many middle-class families, but those who still refuse to sign up would face penalties.

Called “shared responsibility payments,” the fines would be set at least half the cost of basic medical coverage, according to the legislation. The goal is to nudge people to sign up for coverage when they are healthy, not wait until they get sick.

What if you run a  business and you can’t afford to cover  employees with health insurance? Tough luck, the Senate bill also calls for a $750-per-worker annual fee on larger companies that do not offer coverage to employees. “Larger companies”? How large? Who knows?

The Dems want to expand a Nannystate that will nag you, take away your allowance, and send you to bed with no supper if you don’t do what it tells you to do. And it will be for your own good because Nanny knows best. But most of all, Nanny wants you in her protective care…from cradle to grave.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says President Barack Obama is being “disingenuous” in telling the American people that Congress is going to design a fair, neutral playing field when it comes to offering a public healthcare option.

“I think it would be totally out of touch with reality,” Gingrich said on ABC News. “I think it’s disingenuous on the president’s part, and it wouldn’t work.”

“I think that it’s very important that we not allow a bureaucracy to get set up,” he told Dr. Timothy Johnson, ABC’s medical editor, one day after the president went on national television to answer questions on his plans for healthcare reform.

“I guarantee you the language they draft for the public plan will give it huge advantages over the private sector or it won’t work,” Gingrich said.

“What they will do is rig the game.

Perish the thought. Nanny is all about, “fairness”. And she’ll no doubt be more fair with some than others.

Hat tip: Conservative For Change