"Government Taking over People's Lives" - eh?

Ok, so Obamacare mandates that you have to purchase Health insurance. It does this because of an idea that originated with the Heritage Foundation, that everyone should be willing - if they are able - to chip in and pull their own weight. They argued, that investing in Health Insurance was a way to show Personal Responsibility.



And now Conservatives are really, Really, REALLY, against that because - eventually - President Obama (who did not originally endorse such a mandate even though Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton did), signed on to it.

Now that Highly Conservative idea has got like... Terminal Cooties. It's THEIR idea, but now it's Bad. Bad bad BADDY bad Bad!

So if you choose not to get insurance what happens? Well, if you don't get hit by a truck, fall down a sewer hole, contract Meningitis, Gall Stones, Kidney problems, Diabetes, Fall down a Flight of Stairs, Stub your toe, cut off your thumb with shears or come down with the Flu - you might get assessed a penalty on your taxes.

And what if you decide not to pay the penalty, then what?

Nothing.

Nada.

Zilch.

Well, ok, almost nothing.

The IRS is specifically prohibited from criminally pursuing you if you don't pay your Obamacare penalty. That is documented here via the Office of Sen Tom Coburn.



Section 5000A(g)(2) of the IRC limits the means the IRS may employ to collect the penalty established in the section. First, the taxpayer is protected from either criminal prosecution or penalty for failure to pay the penalty. Second, the IRS is prohibited from either filing a NFTL or levying any property in an effort to collect the penalty.

Thirty days after providing a Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to Appeal, the IRS may levy the taxpayer’s property, both real and personal.22 This means that wages may be garnished until the tax is paid in full. All funds in a bank account that are available for withdrawal on the date the levy is received by the bank may be taken.23 In some cases, the IRS may sell property belonging to the taxpayer after providing public notice and advising the taxpayer of the minimum bid price.

Nevertheless, individuals who fall into one of these two categories (individuals who pays no net income taxes or falls below the federal poverty

guidelines) may qualify for any of three income based exemptions... 1) the exemption for individuals who cannot afford coverage [Must be greater than 8% of their family income] 2) the exemption for individuals whose household income does not exceed the filing threshold; or 3) the hardship exemption as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

They can however, issue a Levy on or Lien for the unpaid amount.But that isn't the case for everyone. For some not purchasing Health Care - assuming they don't already have it through your Employer, aren't on Medicare, Medicaid, CHiP, TriCare or VA and also can't afford to pay for care either because it's too expensive for them in their area even with subsidies or their yearly income isthey don't even reach the minimum IRS filing limit - means NOTHING because those people areIn other words, if you already have Healthcare, or youto pay for insurance and there are affordable plans available but you simply refuse to get it anyway, what you get is a BILL from the IRS, which you can pay or not pay depending on how much you value your Credit Rating.

That's like Aparthied how?

Where exactly is one group of individuals are being forced to live in a separate homeland (aka "Reservation") away from everyone else? Where in fact, those individuals aren't even considered Citizens of their own nation, and must have "Passports" to travel outside those designed homeland areas in order to work? Where are they prohibited from traveling at night? Where are they prohibited from working in certain types of jobs or industries?

The Affordable Care Act does have a Government Component, and I've just described the most intrusive portion of it, but it doesn't tell you where to live, or how to live. In fact, most of the Government Power in the ACA isn't directed at individuals - it's directed at Private Corporations because there's something we often forget about the ACA -- it's full name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The PPACA includes a Patients Bill of Rights which include the following.



-- Stop insurance companies from limiting the care you need.

-- Remove insurance company barriers between you and your doctor.

-- Reviewing Insurers’ Premium Increases. [85% MLR]

-- Getting the Most from Your Premium Dollars.

-- Keeping Young Adults Covered. [Until Age 26]

-- Providing Affordable Coverage to Americans without Insurance due to Pre-existing Conditions:

-- No Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions

-- No Arbitrary Rescissions of Insurance Coverage.

-- No Lifetime Limits on Coverage

-- Restricted Annual Dollar Limits on Coverage.

-- Protecting Your Choice of Doctors

-- Removing Insurance Company Barriers to Emergency Department Services.

-- Reducing the "hidden tax" on insured Americans (due to the Uninsured)

-- Improving Americans' health [With Free Preventive Measures]

-- Protecting Americans' savings [Avoiding Medical Bankruptcies]

Rick Santorum is fighting to take all that away. To return us to the "Aparthied" of the sick being treated dramatically differently from the healthy by the insurance industry. These are things that the Insurance Industry can NO LONGER do. This provides People With Freedom, not Oppression.

And not only would Rick Santorum take these Freedoms back from you- he'd apparently take them back for his own daughter Bella who was born with a severe genetic disorder which generates high Medical Costs that he has had to pay out of pocket. Or so he says. Santorum himself brought this up in 2012 as his rationale for his own giving only 1.7% of his income to Charity.

As Thinkprogress Puts it... http://thinkprogress.org/...



By admitting that the health care system has created a financial burden for families, Santorum is essentially conceding the need for the Affordable Care Act. Even though he has repeatedly claimed that children like Bella would receive inferior treatment under “socialized medicine,” the ACA actually guarantees that insurance providers cannot use disabilities like Bella’s as an excuse to deny service, nor can they cap how much money is spent on an individual’s medical benefits. It also prevents insurers from denying or limiting benefits. Children of families that don’t have a million dollars would have a better chance of managing costs.

So now, because of the PPACA, Bella can be insured. She can no longer be blocked from coverage by insurance companies. And Rick Santorum's own out-of-pocket costs for her care are now, which should be able to save HIM a significant amount of funds.

He might even now have The Freedom to be able to give more than 1.7% of his income to charity in the future.

That is, if he actually cares one wit about people in need. Other than himself, of course, since he so desperately and deeply Needs a Clue.

Vyan



I posted this video 3 Years ago myself, taken from my own VHS Copy of the Original Full Length "Sun City" Video - which I still have - and in the last day it's had over 3,500 views, and counting.

