The debate over the IRS scandal officially became ludicrous on Thursday, when Republicans decided to use it as a cudgel for bashing Obamacare.

The day started with Republican lawmakers warning darkly that, under Obamacare, the Internal Revenue Service would use its power to pry into individual medical records or otherwise invade personal liberty. “That’s part of Obamacare,” said Senator Rand Paul. “I’m worried that some of our privacy will be violated.” On Twitter, House Majority Whip Eric Cantor wrote, “RT if you think we should keep #IRS out of your healthcare and repeal #Obamacare.”

The day ended with the revelation, by ABC News, that Sarah Hall Ingram, the woman formerly in charge of the tax exempt division, is now working for a different department—the one in charge of the agency’s Obamacare duties. Within minutes, that story was splashed on Drudge and conservative websites. (A sample headline from Townhall: “Unreal: IRS Official who Oversaw Tareting Scandal Now In Charge of Obamacare Division.”)

Perhaps it was inevitable that Republicans would conflate two of the ideas they hate the most: Obamacare and the collection of taxes. But the notion that Obamacare meaningfully expands the power of the IRS, let alone that it will give its bureaucrats control over how people get medical care, is beyond laughable.

It’s true that the IRS performs several of Obamacare’s critical functions. Starting next year, the IRS will be distributing the tax credits that will make insurance affordable for millions of Americans. The IRS will also be responsible for enforcing the “personal responsibility requirement”—a.k.a., the individual mandate. To do that, it must figure out who has insurance, and then, under certain circumstances, impose a tax penalty on people who do not.