Healthcare reform, the IRS, and YOU

By Robert Amoroso

Now that Obama-care has been passed, someone will need to enforce those pesky little mandates, you know the ones that gently nudge us into compliance, and of course when it comes to “voluntary compliance”…who better then your friendly neighborhood IRS agent.

And of course we all know how benevolent this agency is, when it comes to tax laws, just ask Timothy Geithner, who “forgot” to pay his income taxes for years and now thanks to President Obama heads up the agency…”way to go Timmy”, and I’m sure Charlie Rangel, the former chairman of the powerful Way and Means Committee, can certainly understand how such a busy man like Timmy can forget to pay his taxes. 

After all it even happened to Charlie, something about he wasn’t responsible for failing to report more than $660.000 in assets during 2007 and not filing the required financial disclosure forms.

And I’m sure that if you or I decide not buy healthcare insurance, because we actually believe the federal government cannot  mandate force or intiminate a citizen to buy  a product or service. They may or may not want…that our friendly IRS agent will understand…I mean they did it for Timmy and  Charlie, and after all some of us have actually read that pesky old document, you know the Constitution and that 10^th Amendment, and the Commerce Clause, and this healthcare reform bill may actually be unconstitutional.

However I digress, this benevolent agency will now be responsible for enforcing Obama-care and its mandates of full compliance, in order to do this however,  the congress will need to  amend  the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, thus giving the agency additional enforcement powers.

Don’t you just feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing that your friendly IRS has additional powers?

Anyway, we’ll all be required to buy "acceptable" insurance coverage. Now here’s the tricky part, when you file your 1040 tax form, you’ll be required to pledge that you have “acceptable” health insurance coverage, of course our illustrious  leaders (I hope it isn’t Timmy or Charlie), are working out the definition of “acceptable”.

Don’t you feel just wonderful knowing that the folks that gave you the Post Office, Medicare, and Social Security are now working out the financial kinks on this healthcare package…I do!

Anyway back to our friendly IRS, of course you know how much the IRS trusts you, and they would never assume that you would fib, however like Timmy or Charlie you might forget or become confused, so  the IRS would need a way to check your claim for accuracy. They would check the information you provide on your tax form with the insurance agency, and of course if the information isn’t accurate you’ll get that friendly reminder in the mail…aren’t you impressed with their efficiency, I am!

Of course under this new healthcare mandate, you can’t just simply buy insurance on your own, any longer…no no that won’t do. The IRS will be intimately involved in how you purchase your insurance.  Can’t you feel the love? I can!

Now for those who can’t afford to buy healthcare insurance, they would receive a subsidy to pay for it, from .your friendly IRS, in the form of a refundable tax credit. Of course you would need to prove eligibility to the Health Choices Administration. In order to do so they would require the IRS to turn over your tax returns. Simply put in order to qualify you must agree to release sensitive tax information to another federal agency and of course your privacy would be compromised…isn’t “free” healthcare just wonderful? I think so!

Of course you remember Timmy he’s the fellow that heads up the IRS, the one that “forgot” to pay his taxes…well he estimates that they’ll need an additional 16,000 IRS agents, to handle the healthcare mandates, at a price tag estimated at 10-million dollars.

Now here’s a thought, lets scrap this 2 ½ trillion dollar, nonsense, and take the 10-million dollars and divide it among the 30-million people that currently aren’t insured, put the money in a high interest trust fund, and let those people who can’t afford healthcare insurance, apply for a tax credit, and if they’re eligible…give them a tax credit to buy health insurance.

Then institute Tort Reform, and reduce state restrictions on buying insurance across state lines, and encourage private insurance pools for small to medium businesses across the country so they can purchase in bulk…problem solved Barry, opps…I mean BARACK.           

Hey John,

Thanks for the feedback, as bizarre as Joseph’s comments may be with the Bush thing, he did make a cohesive comment, he asked me to prove my statement about the IRS being involved in how we pay for healthcare, that’s a fair question…so to my friend Joseph with the register mark, here’s my source.

It’s from  Washingtonexaminer.com, the article is written by Byron York, and he’s the Chief Political Correspondent. His article entitled “Health care reform means more power for the IRS”.

For those interested I suggest you read the entire article, however below is an excerpt for my dear friend Joseph…and I hope there are no editorial issues, for him to wade through.

Under some versions of health reform now circulating on Capitol Hill, the IRS would also be intimately involved in how you pay for insurance. Everyone would be required to buy coverage. The millions of Americans who can't afford it would receive a subsidy to pay for it. Under the version of the plan currently under negotiation in the Senate Finance Committee, that subsidy would come through the IRS in the form of a refundable tax credit. Under the House plan, the subsidy would come directly from the Health Choices Administration.

In either scenario, the IRS would be the key to making the system work. Before you could receive any subsidy, whether through the IRS or not, the Health Choices Administration would have to determine whether you are eligible for it. To do so, the bills under consideration would give the Health Choices Commissioner the authority to demand sensitive, confidential information from the IRS about individual taxpayers. The IRS would have to provide it.

Regards,

Amo