Democrats seek relief from health law penalties

A few Democrats are seeking an extension to the Healthcare signup deadline.

They ask Obama to give more time as the IRS is warning of millions of people going to get clipped for not having insurance.

The Democrats suggest a lot of people are the victims now.

So it looks like a Democrat law is victimizing too many Democrats?

LOL

(Feb. 16, 2015 3:03 AM ET)

The official sign-up season for President Barack Obama's health care law may be over, but leading congressional Democrats say millions of Americans facing new tax penalties deserve a second chance.

Three senior House members told The Associated Press that they plan to strongly urge the administration to grant a special sign-up opportunity for uninsured taxpayers who will be facing fines under the law for the first time this year.

The three are Michigan's Sander Levin, the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, and Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, and Lloyd Doggett of Texas. All worked to help steer Obama's law through rancorous congressional debates from 2009-2010.

APNewsbreak: Democrats seek relief from health law penalties

Hmmm.

originally posted by: xuenchen
So it looks like a Democrat law is victimizing too many Democrats?

More likely victimizing too many seated lawmakers' futures at the polls.

If there is as much pain to be had as we're being lead to believe, then the GOP would be wise to sit very quietly and allow that pain to come to pass on America (as they actually do have the catbird seat here and cannot be blamed for any of this for a change). Then, in 2016, the GOP candidate needs to run on an absolute platform of ACA repeal alongside a unified Contingent of Congressional and Senate candidates. No more of this "I will try to fix the ACA" nonsense, it needs to be a 100% promise of "We will repeal the act and restore America's freedom of choice and power over their own finances."

I hate to see my fellow Americans suffer at the hands of misguided policy.

But the irony is not lost on me.

The lawmakers say they are concerned that many of their constituents will find out about the penalties after it's already too late for them to sign up for coverage, since open enrollment ended Sunday.

That means they could wind up uninsured for another year, only to owe substantially higher fines in 2016. The fines are collected through the income tax system.

Sounds rational. Although I strongly disagree with being forced to buy health insurance in a free country.

originally posted by: xuenchen
So it looks like a Democrat law is victimizing too many Democrats?

Actually, it looks like people who didn't sign up when they had the chance is the problem... Although I'd support an extension? I can just see you go through the roof if a sign up deadline was extended. Or would YOU support an extension to the sign up deadline?

The only defense I have seen for ACA has boiled to down "the ends justify the means". However, the means has not really been discussed. The means is only discussed as an abstract belief that the wealthy will be getting screwed over and will just have to live with it.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Because ACA isn't "free health care". It is a law requiring you to pay for your healthcare out of pocket with a promise of tax credits when you file with the IRS.

I am dumbfounded as to how anyone could defend this. I am even more dumbfounded how anyone in DC thought this was going to work.

originally posted by: projectvxn
I hate to see my fellow Americans suffer at the hands of misguided policy.

But the irony is not lost on me.

Not me! I saw them celebrate and cry when they thought they won the battle! Government officials have been notorious liars for years!

I won't shed a tear for OR feel sorry for anyone who votes D or R any longer!

How dumb can you be to believe, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it"?

a reply to: Elton

That would be true, except the fines, penalties, and deadlines have been a major discussion point for the past 2 years. If there is any tax payer out there who sincerely can say "I was unaware of these penalties," I'm not exactly sure what would have educated them on the reality of the bill shy of a personal phone call to each American.

It is bluntly obvious that many of the ACA detractors' predictions on just how damaging this law would be are coming true. The current crop of Democrats in DC are trying to kick the can down the road in an effort to salvage their political careers because, let's be adults here, voters vote first and foremost based on their financial situation. Nobody in their right mind votes to make themselves poorer or give themselves less financial freedom and choices.

originally posted by: seeker1963
How dumb can you be to believe, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it"?

Did she lie?

a reply to: xuenchen

All the progressive fools who bought into this lie are going to cry a river of complaints. They will demand handouts and extensions and flat out demand not having to pay.



This is why the liberal progressive mindset fails time after time. They only look at the short game and taking the path of least friction. This causes failures in families,schools,governments.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

While I don't disagree, there are a lot of people out there with double digit IQ who won't realize the penalty is > $99.00 until they file their taxes. By then it is too late to sign the family up as the open enrollment has ended.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
a reply to: Elton

That would be true, except the fines, penalties, and deadlines have been a major discussion point for the past 2 years. If there is any tax payer out there who sincerely can say "I was unaware of these penalties," I'm not exactly sure what would have educated them on the reality of the bill shy of a personal phone call to each American.

It is bluntly obvious that many of the ACA detractors' predictions on just how damaging this law would be are coming true. The current crop of Democrats in DC are trying to kick the can down the road in an effort to salvage their political careers because, let's be adults here, voters vote first and foremost based on their financial situation. Nobody in their right mind votes to make themselves poorer or give themselves less financial freedom and choices.

Are you insinuating "personal responsibility"?

How dare you sir!

a reply to: Elton

You have missed the point Democrats debated for months and made the law and celabrated when Obama signed it into law...changed by Obama about 10 times.

Do you see the hypocracy of Dems?
They put penalties in not Republicans...they had zero involvement, no Yeas.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: seeker1963
How dumb can you be to believe, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it"?

Did she lie?

Hmmmmm.

Is that a trick question?

a reply to: seeker1963

this is what is most infuriating.

The amount of work it would (should) take to get comprehensive health reform in place would take years. Obama should be just finishing the entire process. It is an enormous volume of legalese, with absolutely no possible chance for vetting/error proofing.

Even worse....the real rules are decided on the fly. The law itself gives several (thousand) guidelines, and the IRS, among others, determines the policy for how that works. It is a miles long series of kludge's, with more kludge's rolled out as they figure out how to make it work.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
Then, in 2016, the GOP candidate needs to run on an absolute platform of ACA repeal alongside a unified Contingent of Congressional and Senate candidates. No more of this "I will try to fix the ACA" nonsense, it needs to be a 100% promise of "We will repeal the act and restore America's freedom of choice and power over their own finances."

What, stop kidding yourself! The GOP wanted ACA to happen too.

Obamacare should have taught you a lot about the direction the country is heading.

What do I mean exactly?

Many forget that we now live in what "could" be considered a fascist country, with oligopolies running it behind the scenes. What usually results in this kind of situation is, the "owners of capital" will "legislate" mandatory purchases in the future, if revenue does not match their expectations or projections (for the good of the nation of course, i.e., Too-Big-to-Fail).

So for example, if someone chooses not to buy unneeded goods or services, they will simply pay a "penalty" at tax time. When the "owners of capital" run out of consumer goods that they can "strongly coerce" people to buy in order to go to work, such as, gasoline, internet connection, car insurance, bus/subway fare, cell phones, suits/uniforms, soap, deodorant, razors, etc, they will simply make it law that you have to buy them, in certain quantities before tax season (the current Healthcare dependent Flexible Spending Account, FSA, is just the pilot program, one day we will have an FSA for ALL goods and services, use-it or lose-it).

You will not be allowed to be frugal in the future because the "owners of capital" will take close to the same amount back, when a person tries to save money by reducing purchases, in the form of "tax penalties". In the future when someone chooses "not to buy" and then doesn't have the proper "proof of purchase" coupon to prove they bought these items, in the required quantities, when tax fillings come due, the IRS will have some way to calculate the amount "you should have purchased" (sounds a little like a college FASFA in reverse).

Look at solar roof panels, many local governments are taxing people for installing them because they reduce dependence on local utilities, which in turn drive down privatized revenue being collected by the contract companies hired running the utilities.

the worldwide battle between utilities and solar

ACA is simply a test run of how to make people pay a fine for NOT buying something else first. This is just the beginning of "mandatory purchases" regardless of individual financial hardship.

Point is.....
The affordable health care is UNAFFORDABLE................nuff said
Its neither universal nor is it comprehensive....
The absolute worst program for health care any country has ever initiated.....
Should have NATIONALZED the doctors and the hospitals and ousted the for profit idea to start with.....
The concept of making money off peoples misery is just egregious.....Cuba has a better health care system....

a reply to: boohoo

Have a source for "GOP wanted ACA too"

Quite an attempt at re-writing history.

a reply to: xuenchen

Let them spin it as they will, but the core people this time are going to be in charge. I have a daughter and she has a friend and both gals have given up finding a plan that fits them at a reasonable price in addition to them having to be looking over their shoulders at the possible deductible of 5 and 6 thousand.

They are opting out and will pay the damned $350 tax.

(My daughter voted for the man.)

originally posted by: stirling
Point is.....
The affordable health care is UNAFFORDABLE................nuff said
Its neither universal nor is it comprehensive....
The absolute worst program for health care any country has ever initiated.....
Should have NATIONALZED the doctors and the hospitals and ousted the for profit idea to start with.....
The concept of making money off peoples misery is just egregious.....Cuba has a better health care system....

Exactly! The deductible for most is so high that most people don't have the money to pay the out of pocket costs to even meet the deductible for the insurance to even kick in and offer the relief many people expected!

Therefore, it's a death sentence! How can one justify spending a couple hundred dollars for a doctors visit then the meds prescribed? This is an Insurance Companies dream come true!

So much for those evil corporation our president stands on his pedestal and pretends he hates?