IRS weakens enforcement of Obamacare individual mandate: Report 1040 forms to be processed without answer on having health insurance or paying tax penalties The IRS will not require that tax returns indicate that a person has health insurance under Obamacare — a decision that Reason magazine called a major blow to the law’s individual mandate. In a statement to Reason, which first reported the policy Tuesday night, the IRS said it was responding to an order from President Trump to reduce the Affordable Care Act’s burdens on the American taxpayer. “The recent executive order directed federal agencies to exercise authority and discretion available to them to reduce potential burden,” the IRS said in its statement. “Consistent with that, the IRS has decided to make changes that would continue to allow electronic and paper returns to be accepted for processing in instances where a taxpayer doesn’t indicate their coverage status.” For most people, the proof that they have complied with the individual mandate to buy insurance is indicating such to the IRS on Line 61 of the 1040 form. Starting this year, the Obama administration had ordered the agency to start rejecting as invalid returns that didn’t fill out Line 61 or address the alternatives to not having health insurance, such as paying the tax penalty. That is apparently no longer the case. The IRS says taxpayers are still legally required to have health insurance or pay the penalty. It also maintains that it still has discretion to follow up on a filer not indicating his health-insurance coverage status but, according to Reason, it’s not clear what would cause the agency to do that. “Although the new policy leaves Obamacare’s individual mandate on the books, it may make it easier for individuals to go without coverage while avoiding the penalty. Essentially, if not explicitly, it is a weakening of the mandate enforcement mechanism,” Reason reporter Peter Suderman wrote. “It’s hard to enforce something without information,” Ryan Ellis, a senior fellow at the Conservative Reform Network, told Reason. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/14/irs-weakens-enforcement-obamacare-individual-manda/
I pay for health insurance for my family and will continue to do so.. But, this is a great day for the rights of Americans. We just got back a big piece of liberty. being forced to buy something from a third party or pay tax... was a very dangerous precedent.
Humana becomes first major insurer to quit Obamacare exchanges The company said it doesn't see any signs that the law's marketplaces are getting healthier. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/aetna-humana-drop-merger-bid-234989
The R's should hurry up and get rid of this god awful legislation and let people go die in a corner if they're too weak to take care of themselves. In this part of the universe, the strong survive.
One Insurer Says Obamacare in ‘Death Spiral,’ Another May Quit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...s-after-obamacare-plans-lead-to-surprise-loss
health care vouchers for a basic care program for everyone. pricing and elimination of collusion will be important. competition across state lines. health care companies can offer all sorts of supplements for big profits. Congress could even mandate the insurance companies offer Obama care plans for a few years til they replace it with better ones. No risk to Republicans. Save Americans like me over 10 grand a year. Trump on Mt. Rushmore. -- How do you pay for it? Drive the price down of the base plan because everyone enrolled everyone pays. Insurance companies will compete across state lines. Then the cost is paid for by having the FED place the money into the health insurers accounts. Therefore won't increase budget. Since the fed does not tell us how much money they create anyway. We will hardly notice. American businesses can then be relieved of the cost of health care. Economy expands.
If you are creating money for health care, why would you give it to insurance companies? Why not just create the money for actual health care bills and bypass the insurance? It sounds like in your example that the insurance company only exists to collect a profit with no risk.
good question... because I do not believe the govt can run health care effectively. cost efficiently. And because putting the govt in charge of our health info and allowing them to make decision is one of the worst secenarios I can imagine. You know the IRS was targeting those who were against the democrats? Imagine if your doctors and hospitals were politicised and weaponized against trumps or obamas opponents. govt...must be small for liberty to exist.