Where Does Tax Penalty Money Go?


Hello, my question is about the tax penalty if you can afford to pay for health insurance but you choose not to, you have to pay a penalty that is taken out of your taxes every year. I want to know what happens with that money (the penalty you pay on your taxes), where does it go, what is it used for? Nowhere does this website give information like this.

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OK SO THE OBAMA CARE FINE, states that the Obama Care goes back to pay for the debts of the people that do not pay their hospital bills. First off the hospitals are extremely over priced and they do THAT AS BIG PHARMA IS A HORRIBLE PLACE THE DEVIL, AND the others that supply things know that people are sick and they must have things while in the hospital- so our government works together with these company’s to charge a ton for instance, we use one Kleenex and we are charged $300.00 for the whole box. I know this as I know people that bill for the healthcare system. So not paying and the Obamacare going to that is a joke. I WANT TO KNOW WHERE IS FORMS – OR where is the breakdown of where that money went. The answer above is the worst JUMP AROUND ANSWER; there is– OBAMA Care is a joke, and so was Obama, as a matter of fact ALL THE GOVERNMENT ON EVERY SINGLE LEVEL IS A JOKE. Just know that officially people that think they have some great job… just know that you are a joke. Literally. I would rate the ANSWER ABOVE A NEGATIVE INFINITY THAT IS HOW PATHETIC YA’LL ARE AT LYING. WE SEE THROUGH YOUR GAMES, JOKES, AND LIES. Government you are disruptive and should be all fired.

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Yeah, well that answer makes me angry. I have always taken care of myself by working out and eating healthy. I look 15 years younger than my actual age. I feel paying for health insurance is a waste of money, at least for now.
I don’t make lots of money and honestly can’t afford health insurance. So the penalty the past couple of years has hurt when I use my tax return to pay down bills.

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I am sorry. It is not the intention to make people angry. There is a common sense answer to all of this, some of it is frustrating though. Will do our best not to add to that 🙂

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The money we had to pay in penalties should be given back to the people who had to pay penalty and couldn’t afford Obama care! The IRS can tell on our tax forms of life changing events! Thus is communism!

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Wheres the responsibility of people who dont want to work and get free healthcare. The whole things a scam to get money out of hard working people to oay for the bums who dont work

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It’s our government rigging the system to keep us as slaves. Nwo

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Should be illegal! Don’t agree with my government, with its illegal legal lies.

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Forcing people to pay for health insurance or a penalty is not a choice or a right it is considered being forced into something people don’t want to do. What about rights? We do not have a right to choose anything when the government is running peoples lives. This should be a choice! Maybe the fees that are charged with taxes should be for that individuals health coverage that are paying the fees, not someone else. Take the fee and give that individual health insurance.

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i GOT IT WHEN LOST MY JOB DUE TO HEALTH problems didn’t have any kind of coverage been better off boring money from bank and getting insurance I claimed 0 for 5 months got Obama care submitted all my earnings proved I was not incarcerated filed my taxes suppose to get back $3051.00 then got email don’t file taxes until you get 1095a form still haven’t got it did amended tax form had to pay $400. to have this done now I owe $1100.00 dollars just do get by with my new social security check one month check is what was making a week been told for 11months my disability claim is waiting for decision if I could go back to my job I would but I am 64 and I was told off the record I was a liability been building high rise and big jobs all my life don’t get old you are screwed younger guy call asking still for advice but I cant work because of heart problems insurance sure not any help my deductible is way to high guess I need to cross border to get help that I have payed in all my life and my father did this country taking not taking care of American’s look at the Money the Haitians get for life from Obama and they aren’t from here what’s up with that guess I would be better off being homeless o no not here In America

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If we as an individual are fined though we have inquired no debt from health care shouldn’t our fine go to other personal debt seems crazy to fine someone that never even saw a doctor

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I signed up for ACA for the first time. Paying almost 30.00 a month for healthcare on silver plan. There were plans of .11 cents just to avoid the penalty.

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So when I get penalized, my money is paid on health care? How do I find out when I can use it then?

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It seems unfair that when me and my wife are struggling with our mortgage, bills, and auto upkeep, that we are penalized when we can’t afford health insurance coverage. For me alone it would be 343.00 a month. If I could afford insurance I would have it, then you take money that could go towards insurance away from me. It is a real screwed up system. But that’s the government. I guess my penalty goes towards providing insurance for immigrants, refugees, and green card holders. I am friends with a family that pays $25.00 each for insurance and they are not even US citizens.

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Why don t government or state employees not have to pay or part of remain, I am an honorably discharged veteran who served my whole tour of duty, was denied coverage because of my income, figure a veteran is a veteran regardless of income, was penalized more than I make in a year, not wealthy by any means, and agree in helping others out some but had to borrow money to pay penalty. Disgusting how my service did nt mean nothing, haven’t had to use medical at all.

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There shouldnt be a responsability to pay for those who dont care for themselves if u took care of yourself you would never need health insurance doctors etc.

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That is obviously not true, accidents happen. So we have to account for that.

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Why can not you people wake up to the fact of single payer health care?? Every other civilized country in the industrialized world has it. I am Canadian and have been covered since the day I was born and will be til the day I die.Everyone is as a right here,no matter who you are! No pre existing crap no income levels or stupid forms to fill out at tax time. No bill collectors or bankruptcies over hospital care bills. No politician in his right mind in this country left right or center messes with it unless they have a death wish. It is prepaid from our taxes and guess what it is only 6.2 of our GDP. HELLO and we are not raving Commies????? Al Crisp

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Its my responsibility to pay for others healthcare if I can’t afford it myself? That just does not make sense. I don’t need to be spoke down to when the government just wants more of my money. I moved and did not get healthcare in the allotted 60 days. I thought it was 90. Come to find out I was wrong, and correct. There is a 90 day gap in insurance for the whole year, but getting insurance through special enrollment is only 60 days. So now I have had several providers contact me and offer me insurance that is not ‘Affordable Care Act’ compliant. What this means is when I file my taxes, I am asked if I had coverage and if a policy is not ACA compliant, it is NOT coverage. One provider that is compliant has 2 policies, 378$/mo which is okay coverage and another is 272$/mo which is bare bones coverage. Plus an enrollment fee. Bringing the 272$ to 374$ for the first month. Keep in mind, this is the absolute bare bones policy that does not cover much. So for the remainder of the year, 4 months, I will be paying 1200$. The fee for not having insurance for the whole year is 695$ or 2.5% of your total gross income. So now, do I pay 1200$ to avoid a penalty just to have bad insurance or do I pay this fee, which is half and have no insurance?

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Never in my life have I ever questioned someone who was frustrated with the high costs of healthcare. Totally get it. At the same time being the only major country on earth that doesn’t guarantee healthcare to its citizens is lame. See here: http://factmyth.com/factoids/the-us-is-the-only-very-highly-developed-country-without-universal-healthcare/

Likewise, the GOP plan to bring down rates by barring 20 plus million from healthcare is lame. See here: https://obamacarefacts.com/2017/06/27/better-care-reconciliation-act-of-2017-cbo-report-facts/

I have gripes with the ACA, I have gripes with the debt, I have lots of gripes. But I don’t see how barring people from the market due to cost is a solution to people struggling with costs.

Complex issue.

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I heard or read that the penalty payments PLUS any of our IRS Federal Tax payments go straight to the Federal Reserve and put into funds that go to “grandchildren” of the Fed’s administration. Like Pelosi said “we have to pass the bill in order for us to know what is in it” They STILL have not revealed “what is in it”…
ALSO
I have been putting out the response to ObamaCare as this: If you give your name over to a bill, or a book, title of the book, etc., you receive ROYALTIES for using your name, that is a fact. Obama has been receiving these royalties since inception of this bill and it has been parked into off shore accounts in his maiden name, barry soltero. I also believe that senators are getting their pound of flesh for passing this monster.
SEE THIS ALSO: A briebart article called “ObamaCare’s forgotten tax”

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That is essentially a bunch of misinformation.

Yes private investors hold stock in the FED. This check and balance is much better than Congress controlling the money supply and all fiscal and monetary policy. As you can imagine most anything is better than that. That would be insane.

Despite this the FED generally pays back all profits to the Treasury and is generally one of the more adult agencies in the United States. I don’t think there is much if any being taken out of the cookie jar (it is more numbers on paper, debt held by with interest, not interest capitalized on), but like everyone in the world, the U.S. as a whole is beholden to a semi-private bank (unlike everyone else in the world, we have a giant credit card).

Look, just like with a private credit card, we need to be paying back our debt. So why aren’t we? Well, congress, the left and the right, they keep spending more than we have. If not on healthcare, then on walls and wars. There are near ZERO innocent players on the legislative, so unless you voted for Jill and Johnson, only so much right you have to get conspiratorial.

Moving on, I reviewed the PPACA item by item here, I know exactly what is in it, ask me anything: https://obamacarefacts.com/summary-of-provisions-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act/

There are no royalties to Obama for “ObamaCare”… as “ObamaCare” is just a half-insult of a name like “TrumpCare”, it isn’t the official name. Obama gets royalties from his books, because he wrote them.

Now, as far as the Barry Soetoro thing… that has been widely debunked.

So, ok, I know that those who love Alex Jones and Breitbart don’t tend to believe sources like Snopes, but I mean Breitbart is fine (just slanted reporting; for example the forgotten tax isn’t forgotten and they aren’t really frame it in a fair light), Alex Jones is a con man and conspiracy theorist (he is really scum in the way he takes advantage of people), and Snopes is generally rather correct (although they do tend to go a little soft on difficult issues and err toward the left). With that in mind, here: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/occidental.asp

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My wife and I retired a little early on 12/31/15. I was 63 at the time. We were self-employed and made sure to have a retirement plan in place. Our income while we were in business was variable and unpredictable. I could state with certainty what I earned the previous year, but could not predict with certainty what our income for the current year would be until the end of the year. Obamacare COMPLETELY ignores the millions of Americans in this boat. During 2015, we had Obamacare insurance. But in December, I could not state with certainty to healthcare.gov what my income would be for 2016. For 2016, my income would be some combination of decreasing residual income from my business, and the retirement income we set up ahead of retirement.

Our ACA policy premium in December 2015 was set at, in round numbers, $1,800 (+/- a few $$) per month. Of that, our out of pocket cost was $730/month, and the balance was paid through the subsidy ($1,070/month). At our level of retirement income, we are above the poverty line and we were able to afford that. but in June of 2016, we were booted out of the subsidy program because our *taxable* income was below the minimum necessary to qualify for the subsidy. The reason our taxable income was too low was because the taxes had *already* been paid on the funds which we began to draw on, and it was no longer taxable income at the time we drew on it. (You can’t tax the same income twice.) So we find ourselves in that fairly large cohort of retired Americans who are neither poor nor rich, who are reasonably comfortable, but whose taxable income level disqualifies them from receiving the subsidy. Because of that, our out of pocket premium went from $730/month to $1800/month. Mind you, we are comfortable, but not rich. We cannot afford $1800/month, so we lost our insurance. And, at tax time, we found that we had to pay a fine for being uninsured for last 6 months of 2016. And to add insult to injury, we recently got a gov’t letter saying that we have to repay the $6,420 in subsidy we received from January through June of 2016. As a retired couple, this is catastrophic for us. We don’t have that kind of disposable reserve on hand, because the ONE thing we didn’t count on was that feckless politicians would try and turn us into the European Union. AND THIS IS HAPPENING TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE JUST LIKE US!!!

We planned well for our future, and now we are being punished by gov’t for having done the right thing. And the really crappy thing is that, if I choose to start collecting social security also at my current age (65), (A) my taxable income will still be too low to qualify for the subsidy, (B) my monthly income will not be enough to cover the entire monthly cost of Obamacare, and (C) I WILL STILL HAVE TO PAY THE STUPID FINE!!!! In the meantime, we have both had medical expenses, which we have had to pay out of pocket. Obamacare really screws seniors who were self employed. Their collectivist vision simply doesn’t know what to do with self-reliant Americans.

I have ONE choice, and not the best one, and that is to sign up for Medicare in October. But that is still not free, and it leaves my wife uninsured because she is 59 at the time I am writing this. The best we can hope for is to use my SS income to cover my cost of Medicare and an ACA compliant health cost-sharing plan for my wife; because politicians, in their strutting self-righteousness and disconnect from reality turned health care decisions into a class-warfare issue.

We planned well for our retirement and did everything right, and then democrats trashed it all. And now republicans are failing to do what they ran on – repeal and replacement of Obamacare. Millions of Americans like us have been abandoned by their gov’t, on BOTH sides of the aisle… …..and they think that will get them votes? Elites in DC have no idea how angry people are right now over this issue.

When you back people into a corner and leave them no place to turn, you reap what you sow.

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Now you pay more for insurance you can’t even afford to go to the doctors cause of high deductible an just make insurance affordable instead of finding ways to penalize working people AND companies ( which most hire part time cause they won’t pay the high cost insurance either, so the working people get double screwed THANKS

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I don’t agree with this, I am a middle class working adult and pay my fair share of taxes. Now; now if I didn’t have insurance on myself I would get a fine? What if I couldn’t afford insurance and was on a budget. I would be forced to take a low cost insurance plan that has high deductible and no benefits at all. We all assume that the money goes to pay healthcare for people that can’t afford it. How do we know this. I have not seen any evidence where the money goes. for all we know, it could go to special interest group. I think people should wake up and realize that working middle class people are not treated right.

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The so called ” Shared responsibility tax ” is extortion by the federal government, no matter how one defines it or attempts to justify it.

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I think it is nulksit thst if you make money, you pay high rates for insurance but if you are in poverty. You do not have to pay. I do not work to pay everyone’s insurance. The companies thst are hiring people should have to pay people a good pay to help cover there costs, also doctors, insurance companies, hospitals, drug companies should be working on lowering costs. I see way too much advertising, and frivolous nulksit going on thst just drives up the cost. We are suppoused to be a free country, our forefathers did not have all this crap. Time for people to wake up and the rich need to be less greedy.

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People in poverty are so overburdened with cost that they have no savings and are thus in poverty.

The middle class blame the poor, the poor blame the middle class, that top fraction laughs all the way to the bank. I get the frustration, put scapegoating the poor is missing the point.

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That’s A Ducking Lie

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If you read through the answer and the comments you can see that I am making no attempt to lie. I am just explaining the many answers to the question. Ask a specific and i’ll answer it as best I can. The relationship between spending and taxation is indirect, google “How Currency Gets into Circulation and What Happens to it” or see this: http://factmyth.com/how-currency-gets-into-circulation-and-what-happens-to-it/ (which by the way I wrote, same person who wrote the bulk of this site).

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if uninsured citizens are paying a penalty, why can’t that money be used for a purchase of their policy

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What a great question? If we wanted a real answer, we should have all elected Bernie. 😀

The short answer is “monied interests in politics”.

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Money paid to a cause, charity, organization, etc. with receipt of nothing in return (which describes the Obamacare penalty) is a contribution / donation, not a penalty. Other people in various medical programs will benefit from the money. That’s what I believe and I’m sticking to it.!!!!

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Social Security is… a separate entity… a Fund which is paid into BY INDIVIDUALS FOR INDIVIDUALS as they reached retirement age or who have become unemployable due to a disability. Currently the US Govt OWES $2.7 Trillion to the Social Security Fund. Money they “Borrowed” from the people. Social Security SHOULD NOT be an element in your response.

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Due to peculiarities in my personal circumstances, I do not qualify for a subsidy and I cannot afford the do-nothing, huge-deductible policies that represent the minimum acceptable coverage. Therefore, I get pounded with this penalty every year. As a good American, I’m taking one for the team, but I resent it and the fact that profit-driven insurance companies remain in control. As for needing health care eventually, I don;’t doubt it. And, as a good loyal capitalist, it will be my patriotic duty to forgo care and die. Bitter? You bet. But in the USA, human life is valued purely by financial status. Children need to learn this young and have it reinforced often: Keep your income up! Get rich or die trying.

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so you are stealing money from parents that can use the penalty money. that could be used to take their children to the doctor, the dentists, eye doc, ect! Now their children have to suffer more because the penalty money you took from their parents could have been used to take them to get a check up! dentists, eye check up! that just don’t sound right! what’s the pay off for the tax payer and their family to get health care? for their medical check up?

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I asked myself the same question, if we are to be penalized where is the money going to? In my state, I guess adults cannot get Medicaid. I have been trying to get health insurance for my mother-in-law who is 70 and does not qualify yet for Medicare. The affordable care act wants over $1000.00/month just for her. When my husband did not have insurance before the affordable care act, I was able to purchase health insurance coverage for around 300/month. I feel that the affordable care act was created to make insurance companies richer and to penalize us, by taking more tax money from the working class to pay for the deficit that we are in today, due to poor political overspending. It is not fair, how do they expect the working class to survive. I really and truly hope that Trump will get rid of it. I think that the affordable care act is doing more harm, they are trying to make the working class, really be poor and not being able to survive.

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It’s extortion, plain and simple. You’re forcing me to purchase health insurance which supports corporations I don’t want to support. I get nothing in return, I still have to pay out of pocket if I do go to the doctor. I don’t believe in health insurance, I think everyone should receive the same healthcare whether they are homeless and penniless or a billionaire. We need universal healthcare!

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What I can’t understand is why cant the United States have a health care system like Europe, and Canada. Free public health care.

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If I could afford health insurance I would have it. I don’t have health insurance because I cannot in any way afford it. I work a full time 40++++ hour week. (Own my own small business). I just got my tax return and I feel like I’ve been mugged. Nearly $700 right off the top of my tax return is stripped away from me. It isn’t put in a fund that I can draw from, no that would make too much sense. No it is just taken and given to someone else who probably already has free health coverage or has received a tax benefit for X number of children. This is robbery plain and simple. Thanks again Obama. So because a large percentage of people don’t pay their health care as they go we that do pay as we go and can’t afford monthly healthcare bills get zapped and robbed of the little bit of money we are scheduled to get back.

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So you are telling me that since I can not afford Heath Insurance you are taking money from me that could be used to buy it? The government is a bunch of crooks stealing from people who can’t afford to be stolen from.

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Well with exemptions that is not how it works. In fact that is a very shallow attempt at trying to understand the real system at work here. There are tens of millions of lives on the line, take some time to really understand what is happening.

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I would love to have health insurance . I have a retirement pension from my deceased husband . I live in a very rural area . By the time I make my mortgage payment , house insurance that keeps going up , car insurance , house property taxes , state taxes , personal property taxes , sales tax 8.1 percent and going up because the county wants more , The price of food that keeps going up , the feds get 15% and the state gets 6% . I am taxes on my utilities , I am taxed on my phone . I do not have a cell phone , I do not have any form of cable tv , my truck is a 2000 with 242,000 miles on it . I can not afford the $300 penalty .. I do not qualify for any kind of help . The $300 dollars that was taken from would have paid for my clinic visit and my prescriptions for 6 months ..What part of this penalty is helping me ?

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I am one of those people who can not afford healthcare. I am one of those Americans who can not get there medications because it is $2500.00 for 90 days. So I do with out it. It is not easy. So how is my penalty money helping me?. My medication controls my anxiety so I can work. I am still working but it is a struggle to keep my mouth shut and not lose it. Would I be better off not working and go on disability to get free health care? Is this the answer? I do not mind working. Unsure of how long I will be able to without my anxiety meds. Insurance rates are so high. I do not get it thru my employer,They told me it would be a $3.00 a hour pay cut if I did plus the cost of the premiums. I just took over a $400.00 a month pay cut. Hell I should not complain. Thats less taxes I will pay in this year. My goal this year to get enough back in taxes to be able to call Dunkin Donuts and have donuts delivered to the white house. I want them to get all of my taxes I pay in.No need to hold back. In 2018 maybe I will be able to get them Bagels and even get cream cheese. We will see. The way I see it is I will only be able to send them the glaze for the donuts. Thank you Donald Trump for checking in to unnecssary spending in the goverment. Maybe for there next meeting let them bring there lunches from home like we do instead of having it catered. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day. I can just see there faces when Trump says you get 30 minutes for lunch. Hope you brought something. And 2 -15 minute breaks. Cell phones are in your lockers. No personal use on goverment time. This is costing our tax payers un necessary time and money. Come in and do your jobs.
If I get sick and in the hospital I will get sued,my check will be less,the hospital will send to ugly letters. Then I will have to file bankrupt on them. Dam what a process to go thru to get sick. They may write it off but not without giving the sick a hard time. What is the next penalty we will have to pay. I can not wait. Maybe we will get one for just being alive and able to work(oh we get that now with our high taxes) Oops. Someone predict our next punishment.
After reading your comments. I have to add this comment.
Do you know you will never own your property.. They tell you you can buy this land for $30 to 60,000 dollars. Its yours. So wrong. You build a beautiful home on it. Work hard for 30 years,get it paid for. Get sick,can not work. Taxes on that property is $five to 6 thousand a year. So now what. The market is down, no buyers. I owe taxes on it. That tell me I have to move due to the taxes not being paid. I do do have have the money to have “my house moved”. So they can have there property. So they take it all. I pay a high rent on a house I thought was mine. I get to move and loose My “property and house” I worked for 30 years to own. I have no problems paying taxes but please why do they increase every year. The town I live in had 47 sub-divisions. I fiqure about a million in taxes each year from each sub-division. The you have the houses and businesses that are just sitting by there lonesome and paying yearly taxes on then. Then you have the fines,tickets. My questions is WHY ARE MY TAXES ON “MY HOME” going up every year. Now they want tax payers to vote on a $ % increase to help with schools. ?????. Houses are being built all over my town in what use to be corn fields.
Did the corn fields bring in a million a year? The price of these homes are not cheap. That means the taxes are not cheap. Does anyone one else feel like me. HELP. I know people who are in there 70s and still have to work. Someone said well they well they just have to put a head stone on my desk. I will have to work from the grave. How sad.

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I am so on your page guy .. I agree 100%

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But i was fined for my 2 adult step childs not having insurance
They didnt go to any dr that year
So why

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If you file for them, then you are responsible for their coverage. The tax family is responsible for every member in that tax family.

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He’s reversed the 13th amendment. Telling Americans they have to pay bloated health insurance CEO’s 800.00 a month for health insurance they don’t need is slavery! I will never pay a dime for SlaveCare.

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I really detest this metaphor: http://factmyth.com/factoids/wage-slavery-and-chattel-slavery-are-different/

Chattel Slavery (the kind the 13th outlawed) is a real problem happening now. I know economic slavery can feel oppressive, but it is not the same thing.

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Can I get my healthy care penalty money back once the Obama care is repeal?

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Potentially, but I wouldn’t count on it.

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This is unconstitutional and Ungodly , people shouldn’t be penalize and treated like a slave working an entire year then not getting their taxes back, besides what Obama is selling is not even good doesn’t cover anything and is like this country is becoming communist since people is forced to pay for insurance that is not helping them with their need. These strategies of him are creating stress on people since paying for his insurance is higher than the penalty, and on top of that most of the doctors won’t take Obama Care.

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Barbara valentine

I believe it sucks because I couldn’t afford ins but my son had Medicaid share of cost so I found out in January that share of cost isn’t recognised as insurance so I had penalties for both of us. It took my entire refund and now I owe money to the IRS this year.

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when someone goes without insurance they pay a penalty as part of their shared responsibility of providing health care to over 320 million Americans. It may seem unfair on the surface, AS IT IS but everyone uses the health care system eventually. IT IS UNFAIR ALL THE WAY TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. WHAT GIVE GOVERNMENT THE RIGHT TO BAIL OUT PRIVATE CORPORATE INDUSTRIES. AND THEN INVOKE A UNCONSTITUTIONAL IRS PENALTY ON MIDDLE CLASS TAX PAYING CITIZENS EXCEPT FOR: Membership in an exempt group – Native American tribes, prisoners, UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS, members of health care sharing ministries and those whose religious beliefs prevent them from having insurance are exempt from the requirement to be insured.
I ain’t buying into this bullshit but still love America and the Constitution. I just wish our legislators would abide by it.

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If your work does not offer insurance do you still have to pay fine I make 320.00 a week before taxes

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If your work doesn’t offer then you should be using the marketplace (with or without cost assistance). You would owe the fee at 320 a week (the minimum fee), but you would also qualify for very generous cost assistance. Well, back up, that was true until Trump was elected, now the plan on the table is credits based on age + some unknowns. So it is difficult to give great actionable future advice.

Still in general, if no work insurance then use the marketplace.

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“Hello this is BS, how may I be of assistance”.

Seriously guys, the economy is complex. Money goes in, money goes out. Congress requests funds, IRS collects, pays back treasury, treasury issues bonds, FED plays banker with commercial banks in the middle, commercial banks lend and that is called fractional reserve banking, lots of assets are securities, insurance is a type of security, how deep do you want to go? You are looking for a simple answer to a complex problem.

I suggest digging through CBO.Gov to learn more or even the Federal reserve websites or treasury.

Or better yet, join Congress and get them to pass a reasonable budget.

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You are right as far as the Federal Reserve goes so does the Economy of this ruling government The reality is an Economy backed by Oil, Gold, or whatever really has no significance if the working people buy into it and the Petro, Banking, Pharma powers that be appease the people and give them the a decent life where they think they have freedom as the constitution says. Anymore I think is looked at like the Bible many believe but few follow.

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Oh in other words it goes to the freeloaders that sell drugs and keep having babies the heath care that Obama put in place are 120 min per month and the deductible is on top.of it you still pay out of pocket until you reach it so unless you have a major issue it’s not worth it unless your family makes under 40k a year no affordable ins did not need another 4 years of oppression
Yea Obama did not take care of his own

Go President Trump

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You didn’t need the last line, it was clear you were a Trump supporter from your comment.

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I want to know why you get fined when you had insurance all year and didn’t go to the doctor or use it at all and still got fined Why?

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You 100% should not be fined. You would file a 8965 exemption form, file 8962, and/or check the box on the 1040 and not get fined.

The fee is only if you don’t have coverage.

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If i can show I pay my own medical bills why should i have to pay a penalty. It is cheaper to go this way than to buy insurance @ 559.00 a month. 559.00 x 12 = 6708 a year. Penalty is 2000 + 1200 bill = 3200.00

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I don’t believe that answer. According to political and government posts it sits in an account that has no purpose nor rules to govern it being raided by our greedy politicians. My position is put it into So isl Security since previous administrations have felt the need to rob that account for their personal gain!

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Totally agree with your comment

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So I could not afford health insurance do to loss of wages, yet we got fine for this. As an American how can you make me buy something I cannot afford or may not want. It is like telling us if we do not buy a Chevy we will be fined! Even if you cannot afford it.
This is unconstitutional!

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I am on SSD and need full both knees replaced. I have Medicare but haven’t had supplemental insurance or prescription insurance, be cause I was cut off of it by Social Security 4 years ago. Some moron got my file for review and stamped it be hat I was perfectly fine to go back to work. I filed an appeal and papers to not have my money or my Medicare cut off upon review. They cut a Medicare off immediately any damn way. So, my Blue Cross suplimental and prescription was cut off too. It took 3 months to be reinstated. I had to pay cash in the meantime. Then Blue Cross wanted $800 to keep restated. I could pull that kind of money up out of the air after trying to survive through all this. I was told to re-enroll at the end of the year. I did. They wouldn’t bill me. I call 3 different times to get it fixed and it never was. So I tried the following year. Same thing only this time they wouldn’t bill me or activate me in their system. After 4 calls to fix this, I got statements for last 3yrs telling me how much they are not going to pay on everything. I GAVE UP, AND NOW YOU PEOPLE WANT TO TAKE OUT PENALTY MONEY ON ME FIR 4 YEARS??? I just signed up with PRIORITY HEALTH. I had initially set it up to take out premiums from my SSD check but had to stop it. I don’t want to pay a penalty along with premumsvand have it automatically taking out of my income in one field swoop and make me poor as heck for God knows how long. I had to stop it from auto billing until I know how much it is.

Its unfair practice s to do that to me after all the bills I have incurred because of this and me not even on taxable income. I don’t make tons of money and live check to check with nothing to spare now with an extra $200 on time op of the Medicare too and the copays and hospital bills I am paying now thru creditors and collectors from the last 4 yrs.

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That sounds like a load of crap to me. If you can’t afford health insurance they’re going to go behind you and penalize you that’s foolish. Why not just make health care more affordable

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That is some wishy washy answers. It may go…… It might go……. It should go….. What about, Your money is going to this. PERIOD. “Or at least that is the easiest connection to make, in general all taxes paid go into a single fund which gets used to run our economy.”
GOTTA LOVE THAT SIDE TALKING ANSWER????

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Why should I pay a penalty if I didn’t go to the doctor or hospital and don’t owe any money for medical expences?

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I do not believe that he goes back in them fun expecially Social Security and it wouldn’t need Social Security if the government had and stole her money to begin with we pay that money in and then the government took it to pay for something else I know y’all think the American people are stupid but we’re not and my rating on this would be triple f

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I call b.s., simply because those taxes are already taken out of our checks before we get paid. Hospital bills are stupidly outrageous even with insurance. So it sounds an awfull lot like theft to me. Its a way to take our money and go on vacation we all know that so dont try to act like they are the “good guys”, americans already know better

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Well someone needs to pay the $9,000 x 320 million bill. That someone is all of us via taxes and direct costs. Then, I don’t know how familiar you are with government, but some of that money isn’t getting used in an optimal way.

So I mean, lots of BS, but complex layers as complicated as any economy on earth. Can’t be boiled down to “that darn obummer” or “oh no, Republicans”. It is like a rabbit hole of complexity that goes as deep as you want to follow it.

Still, taxation as a concept is different than theft. If you find solid black and white good guys and bad guys, let me know, i’d love to meet them. Maybe they know something I don’t.

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2015/oct/us-health-care-from-a-global-perspective

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By saying “the money goes back into healthcare is a fairly simple and accurate answer” doesn’t distinguish where the monies from the ACA fines are being used or how they are disbursed. With medicare and medicaid there are accounts held for use on each. Do the ACA fines go into medicare and/or medicaid? or do they go to a seperate account for the unninsured? or do they disapear into general taxes.
How _exactly_ are our health insurance fines being allocated?

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How is any fine or fee allocated? The IRS is part of the treasury, treasury pays off bonds and sells bonds (via a complex system with the fed and banks). Congress requests money for programs. Lots of moving bits and pieces. You are looking for an answer that does not exist essentially. See the other link we posted with “how money gets in and out of circulation and what happens to it” or go research spending and revenue via the national priories website. There is a giant disconnect between “money in” and “how money is allocated”… although Congress’s job is fiscal policy, and ideally they present balanced budgets.

So like, great questions, but I think your answer is only going to be found in painstaking research about how the economy works. Generally though, you might want to review our page on ObamaCare’s costs. https://obamacarefacts.com/costof-obamacare/

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They should hold the money they take from individuals and put it in a personalized account. That way the money is always there for that individual when they need it. Only have one word for what there doing….stealing

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Well this is why 401ks and HSAs are good, they are personalized market-based savings accounts. Really connects a person to their own investments and the economy.

But on taxation, the money goes out the pocket to the IRS/Treasury and is used to keep the cycle going. When we “deficit spend” we borrow more than we pay back (explained by understanding out bonds work).

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Oh you mean like the money I pay into Social Security and Medicare… of which the former may not be available once I need it, and I may not qualify for the latter til I’m of age. Thank GOD that I served 21 years in the Armed Services and get Tricare, TriWest- or United Healthcare whatever they changed it to this year (which I still pay into for the wife and I) and VA Health Benefits (and we all heard the horror stories about that)

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Raised Health care costs that’s what we got.

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just another fed up American

Im 24 years old,single, recently moved from New York to Florida, work my ass off and recently promoted to a managerial position (without any college experience because my family could never afford that either) Im also the son of a deceased Navy Vet, After my father died, my mother lost the house so my 3 other siblings were forced to move in with friends, boyfriends, girlfriends and i chose to stay in my childhood home thru the winter until i was literally forced out.I dont do drugs,I’ve never been arrested, i don’t get food stamps or any other government funded aide(and never applied) I’ve been working since i was 12 (i dont even think it was legal yet)So now, im filing my taxes for 2016 and ill be charged about $500 for not having health insurance for 8 month in 2016 (due to being in my probation period at work and the “OBAMACARE” insurance bring OUT OF MY PRICE range) 1. who are you to tell me what i can and cannot afford? when i did need to see a Dr. in 2016, i paid out of MY pocket for services. When i needed a prescription filled, again i paid the “self pay” rate because the “obamacare” monthly premium i was quoted for was close to $350 a month..that would have been $2,800.00 for the 8 months i did not have insurance. The ONE doctor visit and prescription i needed in that 8 months, ended up costing me about $375. so you tell me who has who’s best interest here? If i did sign up for the scam you call “OBAMACARE” that would have been $2,425.00 in someone else pocket..whether is be the insurance company, the providers office or obamas magical fund to help every OTHER person in this country (or other countries)
so now my tax return will probably be around $700.00 ? So i come to your OBAMACARE FACTS website to see what youll be doing with money after you steal it and i get a crack pot “Answer” like the one listed above. half my pay check (and every other hardworkig american) should not be going to people who are to LAYZ to help themselves. the people who DO need help YES LETS HELP THEM, but lets weed out the other ….say..88% that are raping the system?Over the past 10 years our government took the trust Americans once had in you, and took advantage of it and Im so happy people are finally smelling your bullshit. REVOLT!

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I am just agreeing with this individual comment

Im 24 years old,single, recently moved from New York to Florida, work my ass off and recently promoted to a managerial position (without any college experience because my family could never afford that either) Im also the son of a deceased Navy Vet, After my father died, my mother lost the house so my 3 other siblings were forced to move in with friends, boyfriends, girlfriends and i chose to stay in my childhood home thru the winter until i was literally forced out.I dont do drugs,I’ve never been arrested, i don’t get food stamps or any other government funded aide(and never applied) I’ve been working since i was 12 (i dont even think it was legal yet)So now, im filing my taxes for 2016 and ill be charged about $500 for not having health insurance for 8 month in 2016 (due to being in my probation period at work and the “OBAMACARE” insurance bring OUT OF MY PRICE range) 1. who are you to tell me what i can and cannot afford? when i did need to see a Dr. in 2016, i paid out of MY pocket for services. When i needed a prescription filled, again i paid the “self pay” rate because the “obamacare” monthly premium i was quoted for was close to $350 a month..that would have been $2,800.00 for the 8 months i did not have insurance. The ONE doctor visit and prescription i needed in that 8 months, ended up costing me about $375. so you tell me who has who’s best interest here? If i did sign up for the scam you call “OBAMACARE” that would have been $2,425.00 in someone else pocket..whether is be the insurance company, the providers office or obamas magical fund to help every OTHER person in this country (or other countries)
so now my tax return will probably be around $700.00 ? So i come to your OBAMACARE FACTS website to see what youll be doing with money after you steal it and i get a crack pot “Answer” like the one listed above. half my pay check (and every other hardworkig american) should not be going to people who are to LAYZ to help themselves. the people who DO need help YES LETS HELP THEM, but lets weed out the other ….say..88% that are raping the system?Over the past 10 years our government took the trust Americans once had in you, and took advantage of it and Im so happy people are finally smelling your bullshit. REVOLT!

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Just my opinion ,but last year had to pay a 15000.00 penalty and this year wlll be 12000.00,this after numerous attempts to contact Health.Gov .to pay b4 penalty,received no response, am also a honorable discharge veteran who was denied coverage, am 62 years old and am worse off than 20 years ago, work almost full time and half my wages are for insurance ,my wife turned 65 in October or would have been more stressful on our budget, hope this plan is dscontinued, soon. Queston is why don t government and state employees have this plan, seems I m payng for their s as well, Thanks for letting me post my views.

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(when someone goes without insurance they pay a penalty as part of their shared responsibility of providing health care to over 320 million Americans)

So the money i work very hard for all year, basically is being taken and given to other people.

THOSE 320 MILLION PEOPLE ARE NOT MY FUCKING RESPONSIBILITY

My family is

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I maybe a little Naive, but it seems to me that Americans are increasingly paying higher & higher taxes every year.In everything from sales tax to property taxes to fines fee’s & anything else that is dreamed up.
Millions of working people that are constantly paying into a system are constantly being told that they need to pay MORE. & yet Healthcare is in such a desperate state that taxpaying citizens have to be Robbed of their returns??? I don’t buy it, there’s defiantly sum shit in the mix…Where is the bulk of the money Really going that is already being constantly piped into the System????

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You aren’t naive, it takes a ton of research to find out how the economy works and what it means from a historical perspective.

While I won’t say that we have done a perfect job at providing an answer, I would say that this page will set you well on your way to understanding how the system works:

http://factmyth.com/how-currency-gets-into-circulation-and-what-happens-to-it/

Or, to answer you in words: Congress requests money, Treasury is a mint, Fed is our banker, commercial banks are the intermediaries, most money comes from “reserve requirements,” using “fractional reserve lending” and about all these public and private institutions are purposefully “Separated” not just as entities but in different sections of government and as both public and private entities.

Any more consolidation and we are in trouble… but deregulation is tricky because of how complex things are.

Look at the S&L crisis in the 80’s and the financial collapse of 2007. You can see how when all the chips are stacked they turn into dominos.

http://factmyth.com/the-2007-2009-financial-crisis-explained/

Now, the problem here is that the “repeal ObamaCare” charge is turning out to be more deregulation and eliminating taxes than anything else… so what does this mean. It means we need to get the money from somewhere else…. why is this a problem? It is a problem because I don’t see that happening, instead I see us about to pass a budget that spends $9 trillion (because there is an annual deficit, not a surplus).

This isn’t really a left-right issue at this point, first and foremost it is an American issue. No leader can save us, that is our job. Sure yeah, easier for me to say with Obama gone, but something about the situation gives one a set of clear eyes.

Anyway, the gist is that money paid to the IRS pays off bonds and reduces debt, simple in theory version. When we don’t have surplus though more debt is created for the government than not… then there is the other 90% of money created by banks.

We need better fiscal policy (congress) and monetary policy (fed) to account for our current predicament. At least me and the CBO think so.

Anyway, tangent over.

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The government looks at your gross pay, not your net. So you could meet the requirement for paying the tax. If they don’t take into consideration your bills, childcare costs, daycare, other debts. They want to keep you poor in other words and stuff their own pockets. Thanks Obama

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Well now, Obama didn’t do this, you know that. Obama is one man, everything Congress has ever done has led up to this point.

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ObamaCareFacts.com on January 24, 2017
Well now, Obama didn’t do this, you know that. Obama is one man, everything Congress has ever done has led up to this point.

I could not directly reply to this statement but PLEASSSSE

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Well I mean, just look at what is happening right now, Congress is trying to pass the next one, and it isn’t like Trump himself literally is doing it. I mean, right?

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That’s messed up i got penalized for not having healthcare insurance 608.00 when i filed my taxes i don’t make alot every year nor can i afford or get healthcare i don’t even go to the doctor if im sick or hurt so why am i being penalized for something i dont do it says im putting back into healthcare so basically im paying someone elses tab hell no i want me 608 back i paid this year and the 90 i paid last year

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You should though at your income be getting tax credits… I mean, for the next few months until Congress replaces them with less generous tax credits due to all the complaining. So, do know, you are essentially going to get your way. Please check back and let us know if it gets “great” and “terrific”.

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So if you do pay your health care bills you still get punished seems super fair…I am not the 88% and cannot afford insurance to the tune of over $800 per month…I carried the insurance until my child was hurt and had an er visit..I couldn’t afford the premiumsame and the hospital bill. So as not to cheat the hospital I cancelled insurance to pay bills and got penalized..still waiting for someone to explain how that’s fair. If I could prove I paid my part and took my family in for preventative visits, I should not have to pay a penalty!!

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I pay all of my hospital bills no matter how expensive the bill is. So why do we that pay our bills still have to pay the penality? Looks to me , that the people that take advantage of our Medicare and never work and pay taxs, and have children and still get back thousands of dollars are the people that should have to pay the penality. All of the illegal s that have come to our country never pay taxs to help support the U.S.A. in tax dollars. Yet they get to keep all of their money and all of our taxs that you penalized use for. We loose our homes while they get the chance to buy our homes. Well, I refuse to buy your Obamacare! It will cost my family over 600.00 dollars a month. That is my house payment. My family thank God that Trump got elected President and Obama is out!!

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I say charging working people that dont have insurance and hasn’t made any hospital bills is a fuckin disgrace and should be stop asap if this country stop giving billions of dollars to other countries we all in america could have ins stop giving billionaires tax breaks and Corp welfare enough is enough God will judge america and its,Bull shit leaders and hold them accountable

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Hahaha I love the wording. Of I COULD afford insurance I would have had it.

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It is pathetic for the goverment to fine someone who can’t afford insurance, 700 dollars come on? It ridiculous and unfair to every working American who can’t afford insurance, not even the horrible 900 a year obamacare.

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Obamacare is a joke.Thats why even people from other countries can come here and if they dont earn enough get insured for nearly free ,if
Im understansing it right.

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I earn $268 a year over the thresh hold of qualifying for Minnesota Care so I would have to take out subsidized insurance that would cost me $208 a month with a $2250 deductible. What sense does that make? I can’t afford it so once again I will pay the penalty. If I don’t have insurance this year, I will have to pay at least $675 for the penalty! It makes no sense. You are penalized for being poor. I can not find a definite answer either of where the penalty money goes.It is frustrating and I don’t believe we should be forced to buy insurance and not have money to eat.

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I have not seen a doctor in over 10 years, and pay all of my taxes. Therefore it IS unfair that I am being forced to pay for health insurance that I’m not even using. Its like buying jewelry and not wearing it. That penalty money is money that I work hard for, and I should be able to keep money that I earned. Instead, the government want to give it away to people who can’t or won’t pay medical bills. I consider that a charity, therefore I feel I should be compensated for that charity that the government chooses to give to.

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So how is that fair to the people when you have Mexico not pay tax and have all there baby in u s a and I have to pay for something I don t used

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Excuse me, but the ones who abuse health care are the ones who should be fined not the middle class who are out here trying to do the right things!!
We are once again carrying the burden of the lazy and the druggies (who get their overdoses covered, no problem!) And who always seem to be able to have their pizza, cell phones, cigarettes, nice cars and clothes!!!! This sucks and makes absolutely no sense!!!!
Don’t try to tell me this is fair!!

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In the 1st place No one that pays for their own insurance should be getting a penalty If they can’t afford insurance so be it End of story. Get the 100’s of thousands of illegals off our tax paying backs, and deport them all. There is NOTHING AFFORDABLE about this BS Health scam that was signed . No one has a ” Right” to health care coverage! It’s a business that provides a service, if you can’t afford it you get only what is allowed by stae guidelines. Why should people be penalized cause they cant afford it? its not illegal being poor! And why should someone that makes decent income have to pay for all these illegals that have NO RIGHTS to any services here?

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Please Mr Trump, repill “Obamacare” so we are not forced to pay such large penalty. If one could afford Insurance it would be nice, but since it a burden to do so it seems immoral and absolutely sinful, to be forced to pay what one Cannot pay without suffering the results.

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Such bs my penalty could go towards doctors or other health visits. But just keep taking my hard earned money but I don’t get insurance out it but a drug addict gets free insurance I shouldn’t have to pay a penalty omg this pissed me off so bad….. I so hope the new president does somethi g with this the insurance industry is already already scared god forbid they lose their profits but just take my money cause that’s what I work for..

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i’m curious to know, who sponsored the ACA fine to begin with? Not sure if i worded my question right but a senator or someone had to introduce it to have it added to the plan, just curious, thanks

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sallie rae delucantonio

So I GET A PENALTY FOR A INSURANCE PLAN I CAN NOT AFFORD AND THAT MONEY IS SUBSIDISE ON MY UNABILITY TO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?

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I think taking money from people who cant afford health insurance is a crime.
A lot of us have too many bills.
I had to go to the hospital in 2015 (in & out same day) and i paid my bill in full in 3 months. They still took a penalty out.

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There are financial and other hardship exemptions from owing the fee for not having insurance. You can apply for them through healthcare.gov.

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My husband and I have been fined for 2 years. We feel we have been ROBBED to pay for the health care of people who don’t work! I work all my life asking nothing and so does he. We know people who are licing off the system. Last year we got quote from every company in the market place. We aren’t entitled to any help because we make a middle class income. We don’t have a home, we don’t go on vacation. We don’t squander money. The lowest rate we got was 1,400 per month! I voted for Obama!!! I’m 60 and my husband is 55. Our company is small and won’t help us. Are you kidding? The Affordable care Act should be for middle class families who pay the bills in this country. It should be called The Affordable Care LIE.

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Trump. Thank God For him.

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All kidding aside. Literally, thank God specifically for Trump. As scripture says, from the Golden Tower of the financial capital of the world will come a man who has nothing but commonalities with Jesus, and trust me. Wait, i’m thinking of the 80’s. What are we talking about again. Oh yeah, 20 million sick and suffering about to have their insurance taken away. YIKES!

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Before I comment I want to be clear I voted for Obama (Both times) and overall I believe he was a good president. I believe he is a good man who had good intentions that unfortunately when it comes to Obamacare have hurt rather than benefited many of the people who most deserved/needed help. The person asking the question seems to assume the people who pay penalties are only the ones who can afford a health-care plan and choose not to pick one. You are penalized even if you can’t afford any of the offered health-care plans. My parents have paid their full dues all their lives. These Obamacare penalties have taken away the money they need to pay their property taxes each year and now they are in danger of losing their home. Obamacare offered NO health-care plans that they could possibly afford. (Even with tax deductions) So they continued on without any health-care as they have done for my whole life. (I’m 33) Only now they have the added and Undeserved burden of being penalized for that inability to pay for health-care. I am slightly relieved that the penalty money actually goes back into the system. Too bad the system is broken. My parents are both over 60, have both been working since they were in their teens. Cutbacks at my dad’s job forced both my parents to take their Social Security early. (Earlier then retirement age in my mom’s case & they both face other insane government rules regarding their benefits and what they can earn). Equal access to health-care for everyone is a well-intentioned idea but in this case those good intentions have led to good hardworking people like my parents now being at risk of loosing their home.

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I’m not sure that is an adequate answer considering the fact that unpaid hospital bills have always been a factor in state taxpayer burdens.

I have health insurance but the government deemed that it was not enough. So I had
a $1,100.00 fine on my IRS taxes. Why does the government get to decide that I can afford more insurance and that I don’t have “enough”? So I can’t afford more insurance
but I will have to pay more than I use to in taxes/fines to pay for someone else’s health
insurance?? Does that make any sense?

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I pay my doctors and prescriptions out of pocket with cash and have no bills. I feel I should not get hit with a penalty because I am paying my way on my own without insurance.

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Whether anyone “feels” like a law is fair or not doesn’t change the fact the law. That being said, you may want to apply for an exemption or you may qualify for one of the automatic exemptions from the requirement to have insurance or pay a fee on your taxes. Trump’s executive order about the ACA specifically instructed HHS to, among other things, “grant exemptions from” the fees and taxes whenever possible under the law. While there’s no way for me to know whether you might qualify for and HHS has yet to provide details on how this will change the exemptions, it’s worth looking into. Here’s where you can find information about the exemptions and how to apply.

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I cant believe that this website will not allow you to reply to comments. Every time you try to reply it takes you to the comment of the guy who rides to work on his bicycle. WHAT A FIXED SYSTEM I guess George was right.
https://youtu.be/5hMnWBwgFNE
Erin on February 9, 2017
Whether anyone “feels” like a law is fair or not doesn’t change the fact the law. That being said, you may want to apply for an exemption or you may qualify for one of the automatic exemptions from the requirement to have insurance or pay a fee on your taxes. Trump’s executive order about the ACA specifically instructed HHS to, among other things, “grant exemptions from” the fees and taxes whenever possible under the law. While there’s no way for me to know whether you might qualify for and HHS has yet to provide details on how this will change the exemptions, it’s worth looking into. Here’s where you can find information about the exemptions and how to apply.

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F*** obama care its crime against people nothing else.

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YOU MEAN THE MONEY GOES INTO THE POCKETS OF OBAMA’S LOBBYIST RIGHT?? YOUR ANSWER SUCKS JUST LIKE OBAMA HAS FOR 8 YEARS..

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No, the taxes does not go to lobbyists. Lobbyists put money into the campaigns of candidates running for office and PACs supporting campaigns on specific issues. Lobbyists are paid by industries as a whole, corporations, private individuals, and also PACs. The government does not directly fund lobbyists, though it can be argued that many indirectly get paid when the companies and industries they work for are beneficiaries of tax dollars. But that is not a problem limited to the Affordable Care Act or the legislation pushed by the Obama Administration, it’s in every single sector and has been for longer than Obama was in office and was made worse by the Supreme Court ruling on Citizen’s United, which is a separate branch of government and not controlled by whomever happens to be the President at the time.

The taxes from Obamacare fund a lot of things: grants for community health organizations, for state’s administration needs (like online Marketplaces), for state’s run Medicaid expansion, and for tax credits/deductions (like cost assistance on the individual market and to offset revenue lost to tax deductions for businesses who help cover premium costs). It also goes to cover the costs of hospital charity care when folks don’t pay their bill (which used to not have any tax in place to cover it, it just came out of the general funds). It goes to HHS to cover the costs of applying the regulations and over site.

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My husband supports both myself and him on – 3200.00 a year.
To much for State Assistance.
To little to be able to pay $175.00
A month for Obamacare, and silly have money for food housing, Utilities Gasoline for getting to work And everyday items like soap or bathing washing dishes and cleaning clothes. How does one get out from the ” Rock and the hard spot” ?

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YOU CAN RECORD MY ANSWER TOP THE QUESTION HERE DOES THE PENALTY MONEY GO WHEN THE GOVERNMENT COLLECTS IT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO EXCEEDED 60 DAY’S WITHOUT JOINING A PLAN. READ THE RIP OFF HERE AND NOW!! ALL THOSE WHO JOIN (AS AN EXAMPLE) THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN AND DO NOT JOIN A PLAN WITH IN 60 DAY’S ARE ACCESSED A 1 % FINE FOR EACH MONTH, (APX ? .34 CENTS FOR EACH MONTH THEY ARE LATE AND DO NOT HAVE A CREDITABLE METHOD OR PLAN EVERY YEAR THE PENALTY IN INCREASED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, IF YOU DO NOT JOIN A PLAN THE MONEY IS REMOVED AUTOMATICALLY FROM YOU SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK OR FROM YOU TAX RETURN. THE MONEY DOES NOT GO TO ANYONE AS IT SAY’S ABOVE IN THE ANSWER. >>> INSTEAD>>> IT IS ADDED TO THE PREMIUM OF THE PLAN YOU JOIN !!! THAT IS A PROVEN FACT!! AND EVERY YEAR THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOTHING TO PREVENT THESE INSURANCE COMPANY’S FROM RAISING THE PLANS COST AND THE INCREASE OF THE PENALTY.SO WHEN THE CHECK IS MAID OUT TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY’S FROM THE RETIREE’S SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK IT IS (THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE PREMIUM PLUS THE PENALTY THAT THE INSURANCE COMPANY REQUIRED.THIS IS NOT A LIE NOR IS IT A FARCE THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT REALIZE THE FACT THAT WE THE PEOPLE WHO DID (IN FACT) PAY FOR ALL MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS AT FULL COST DURING THE TIME THAT WE DID NOT JOIN A PLAN I RETIRED AND WAS A VETERAN AND WAS IN KOREA AND I DO RECEIVE CARE THROUGH THE VETERAN’S ADMINISTRATION. MY WIFE RETIRED AND FILLED OUT THE DOCUMENTS FOR MEDICARE PLAN’S A AND B JUST AS I DID WHEN I RETIRED. ALTHOUGH I HAVE THE VA CARE, AS A PLAN, I AM APPROVED (NOT TO JOIN A PLAN. SINCE MY WIFE DID NOT UNDERSTAND SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO JOIN A FORCED PLAN THAT BENEFITS THE INSURANCE COMPANY’S I DID NOT QUESTION THIS.SO DURING THE 43 MONTHS SHE WAS LATE (BOTH SHE AND I PAID 100 PER CENT OF ALL COST’S FOR HER MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS, BUT EVEN THOUGH WE INDEED PAID THE FULL AMOUNT. WE ARE HAVING TO PAY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES A PENALTY, THAT WAS MADE INTO THE LAW’S OF THESE PLANS,FOR THE SAME TIME FRAME WE WERE PAYING 100 % !!! I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WOULD NOT MEET A STANDARD OF PAYING THE INSURANCE COMPANY’S AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF MONEY, SINCE THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT CONSIDER MY WIFE AND I TO BE CREDITABLE. IT WAS A SHAME THAT WE WERE GIVEN THIS PENALTY WHEN WE WERE NEVER CHARGED ANYTHING PRIOR TO THIS! WE MET THE REQUIREMENTS EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO TELL THE LADY AT THE SOCIAL SECURITY THAT DUE TO THE COMPANY I WORKED FOR WENT BELLY UP ON A CAPTURE 11 THAT THE RESULTS WERE THAT I TRIED TO TELL HER WAS I WAS GIVEN MANY BENEFITS AS A RESULT , A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY FREE, AS WELL AS OTHER MONEY AND WE WERE REIMBURSED MONEY FOR ALL MEDICAL BILLS, BUT THE LADY THERE TOLD ME I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK TO HER AND SENT ME A LETTER A WEEK LATER, SAYING I COULD NOT SPEAK FOR MY WIFE, SO I HAVE WRITTEN TO OUR GOVERNMENT. WITH NO ANSWER’S FROM THEM, SO WHEN OUR GOVERNMENT OR ANYONE TELLS YOU WHAT THEY DO WITH THIS MONEY FOR THE PENALTIES THEY ARE GIVING, THEY ARE JUST LIKE OBAMA AND HILLARY AND THE REST OF THESE CORRUPTED PEOPLE IN OUR LEADERSHIP!!! IN ADDITION, THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEAR’S HAS FAILED TO GIVE THE RETIREE’S THERE COST OF LIVING. IT DOES NOT MATTER TO THEM , BECAUSE (THEY) GET THEY’RE COST OF LIVING AUTOMATICALLY. AND ALSO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CHANGED THE SOCIAL SECURITY LAW’S AND WE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THE ONLY ONE’S WHO PAID INTO “OUR” SOCIAL SECURITY FUND AND WE WERE TO BE THE ONLY ONE’S WHO COULD BE PAID FOR THIS AFTER WE RETIRED!!!! BUT WHEN THEY CHANGED THIS LAW, IT WAS STATED THAT THEY COULD USE (“OUR”) MONEY TO SPEND AS THEY DAMNED WELL PLEASE.>>>> AND THE DID JUST THAT<<<< THEY HAVE TAKEN TRILLIONS OF DOLLAR'S FROM "OUR" THEY FOUGHT WAR'S WITH OUR MONEY AND GAVE IT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER PAID INTO OUR FUND AND I WOULD BELIEVE THAT EVEN MONEY FOR THEMSELVES AND THE MONEY WENT TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT AMERICAN CITIZEN'S IF THE TRUTH BE KNOWN OBAMA HAS TAKEN BILLIONS FROM THE FUND AND BUST TOOK TRILLIONS FROM OUR FUND . JUST TODAY I GOT AS LETTER FROM OUR GOVERNMENT SHOWING THAT AFTER THERE NOT PAYING OUR COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCE FOR THREE YEARS THEY HAVE DECIDED TO PAY US, A( 3 % RAISE ) AND WITH THAT SAID, THE GOVERNMENT THEN RAISED THE MEDICARE COST THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF THE RAISE (((EVERY ENTIRE CENT DOWN TO THE LAST CENT, OF OUR RAISE.AND SO IS SEEMS A FACT THAT I GET NOTHING MORE THAT I HAD FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS. AND WITHOUT A DOUBT. THEY WILL NOT EVER BE CONSIDERED NOTHING THAT WILL EVER BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA, THEY'RE ONLY INTEREST IS THE ALL AMERICA DOLLAR THEY CAN GOT OUT OF THE AMERICAN CITIZENS. THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION FOR EIGHT YEARS HAS SHOWN THAT THE TWO PARTY LEADERSHIP ARE IN EVERY WAY CORRUPTED, THAT IT IS THEY'RE JOB TO ASSURE THEM SELVES TO KEEP THE INFLOW OF RHINO'S MONEY AND THEY'RE PARTY IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTER'S. I AM NOT THROUGH WITH WRITING, I SHALL INDEED CONTACT THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE'S IN AN ATTEMPT TO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY LAW'S THAT WERE CHANGED TO BENEFIT THE LEADERSHIP AND THE INSURANCE COMPANIES TO FORCE THE CITIZENS TO PAY THEM BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY MANIPULATED THE LAW'S THAT GOVERN OUR SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT FUND AND OUR PENALTIES BOTH ARE UNJUST TO THE AMERICAN CITIZENS!!!!! GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS AMERICA

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It is more effective to use Sentence Case and Paragraphs when trying to make a point. The ALL CAPS RANT WITH NO PARAGRAPHS IS BRUTAL FOR THE READER! Was going to delete it… but it seems heartfelt.

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The only way to reply to this comment is copy and paste
I Agree to this Americans feelings

YOU CAN RECORD MY ANSWER TOP THE QUESTION HERE DOES THE PENALTY MONEY GO WHEN THE GOVERNMENT COLLECTS IT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO EXCEEDED 60 DAY’S WITHOUT JOINING A PLAN. READ THE RIP OFF HERE AND NOW!! ALL THOSE WHO JOIN (AS AN EXAMPLE) THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN AND DO NOT JOIN A PLAN WITH IN 60 DAY’S ARE ACCESSED A 1 % FINE FOR EACH MONTH, (APX ? .34 CENTS FOR EACH MONTH THEY ARE LATE AND DO NOT HAVE A CREDITABLE METHOD OR PLAN EVERY YEAR THE PENALTY IN INCREASED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, IF YOU DO NOT JOIN A PLAN THE MONEY IS REMOVED AUTOMATICALLY FROM YOU SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK OR FROM YOU TAX RETURN. THE MONEY DOES NOT GO TO ANYONE AS IT SAY’S ABOVE IN THE ANSWER. >>> INSTEAD>>> IT IS ADDED TO THE PREMIUM OF THE PLAN YOU JOIN !!! THAT IS A PROVEN FACT!! AND EVERY YEAR THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOTHING TO PREVENT THESE INSURANCE COMPANY’S FROM RAISING THE PLANS COST AND THE INCREASE OF THE PENALTY.SO WHEN THE CHECK IS MAID OUT TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY’S FROM THE RETIREE’S SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK IT IS (THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE PREMIUM PLUS THE PENALTY THAT THE INSURANCE COMPANY REQUIRED.THIS IS NOT A LIE NOR IS IT A FARCE THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT REALIZE THE FACT THAT WE THE PEOPLE WHO DID (IN FACT) PAY FOR ALL MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS AT FULL COST DURING THE TIME THAT WE DID NOT JOIN A PLAN I RETIRED AND WAS A VETERAN AND WAS IN KOREA AND I DO RECEIVE CARE THROUGH THE VETERAN’S ADMINISTRATION. MY WIFE RETIRED AND FILLED OUT THE DOCUMENTS FOR MEDICARE PLAN’S A AND B JUST AS I DID WHEN I RETIRED. ALTHOUGH I HAVE THE VA CARE, AS A PLAN, I AM APPROVED (NOT TO JOIN A PLAN. SINCE MY WIFE DID NOT UNDERSTAND SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO JOIN A FORCED PLAN THAT BENEFITS THE INSURANCE COMPANY’S I DID NOT QUESTION THIS.SO DURING THE 43 MONTHS SHE WAS LATE (BOTH SHE AND I PAID 100 PER CENT OF ALL COST’S FOR HER MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS, BUT EVEN THOUGH WE INDEED PAID THE FULL AMOUNT. WE ARE HAVING TO PAY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES A PENALTY, THAT WAS MADE INTO THE LAW’S OF THESE PLANS,FOR THE SAME TIME FRAME WE WERE PAYING 100 % !!! I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WOULD NOT MEET A STANDARD OF PAYING THE INSURANCE COMPANY’S AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF MONEY, SINCE THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT CONSIDER MY WIFE AND I TO BE CREDITABLE. IT WAS A SHAME THAT WE WERE GIVEN THIS PENALTY WHEN WE WERE NEVER CHARGED ANYTHING PRIOR TO THIS! WE MET THE REQUIREMENTS EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO TELL THE LADY AT THE SOCIAL SECURITY THAT DUE TO THE COMPANY I WORKED FOR WENT BELLY UP ON A CAPTURE 11 THAT THE RESULTS WERE THAT I TRIED TO TELL HER WAS I WAS GIVEN MANY BENEFITS AS A RESULT , A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY FREE, AS WELL AS OTHER MONEY AND WE WERE REIMBURSED MONEY FOR ALL MEDICAL BILLS, BUT THE LADY THERE TOLD ME I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK TO HER AND SENT ME A LETTER A WEEK LATER, SAYING I COULD NOT SPEAK FOR MY WIFE, SO I HAVE WRITTEN TO OUR GOVERNMENT. WITH NO ANSWER’S FROM THEM, SO WHEN OUR GOVERNMENT OR ANYONE TELLS YOU WHAT THEY DO WITH THIS MONEY FOR THE PENALTIES THEY ARE GIVING, THEY ARE JUST LIKE OBAMA AND HILLARY AND THE REST OF THESE CORRUPTED PEOPLE IN OUR LEADERSHIP!!! IN ADDITION, THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEAR’S HAS FAILED TO GIVE THE RETIREE’S THERE COST OF LIVING. IT DOES NOT MATTER TO THEM , BECAUSE (THEY) GET THEY’RE COST OF LIVING AUTOMATICALLY. AND ALSO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CHANGED THE SOCIAL SECURITY LAW’S AND WE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THE ONLY ONE’S WHO PAID INTO “OUR” SOCIAL SECURITY FUND AND WE WERE TO BE THE ONLY ONE’S WHO COULD BE PAID FOR THIS AFTER WE RETIRED!!!! BUT WHEN THEY CHANGED THIS LAW, IT WAS STATED THAT THEY COULD USE (“OUR”) MONEY TO SPEND AS THEY DAMNED WELL PLEASE.>>>> AND THE DID JUST THAT<<<< THEY HAVE TAKEN TRILLIONS OF DOLLAR'S FROM "OUR" THEY FOUGHT WAR'S WITH OUR MONEY AND GAVE IT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER PAID INTO OUR FUND AND I WOULD BELIEVE THAT EVEN MONEY FOR THEMSELVES AND THE MONEY WENT TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT AMERICAN CITIZEN'S IF THE TRUTH BE KNOWN OBAMA HAS TAKEN BILLIONS FROM THE FUND AND BUST TOOK TRILLIONS FROM OUR FUND . JUST TODAY I GOT AS LETTER FROM OUR GOVERNMENT SHOWING THAT AFTER THERE NOT PAYING OUR COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCE FOR THREE YEARS THEY HAVE DECIDED TO PAY US, A( 3 % RAISE ) AND WITH THAT SAID, THE GOVERNMENT THEN RAISED THE MEDICARE COST THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF THE RAISE (((EVERY ENTIRE CENT DOWN TO THE LAST CENT, OF OUR RAISE.AND SO IS SEEMS A FACT THAT I GET NOTHING MORE THAT I HAD FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS. AND WITHOUT A DOUBT. THEY WILL NOT EVER BE CONSIDERED NOTHING THAT WILL EVER BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA, THEY'RE ONLY INTEREST IS THE ALL AMERICA DOLLAR THEY CAN GOT OUT OF THE AMERICAN CITIZENS. THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION FOR EIGHT YEARS HAS SHOWN THAT THE TWO PARTY LEADERSHIP ARE IN EVERY WAY CORRUPTED, THAT IT IS THEY'RE JOB TO ASSURE THEM SELVES TO KEEP THE INFLOW OF RHINO'S MONEY AND THEY'RE PARTY IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTER'S. I AM NOT THROUGH WITH WRITING, I SHALL INDEED CONTACT THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE'S IN AN ATTEMPT TO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY LAW'S THAT WERE CHANGED TO BENEFIT THE LEADERSHIP AND THE INSURANCE COMPANIES TO FORCE THE CITIZENS TO PAY THEM BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY MANIPULATED THE LAW'S THAT GOVERN OUR SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT FUND AND OUR PENALTIES BOTH ARE UNJUST TO THE AMERICAN CITIZENS!!!!! GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS AMERICA

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I always appreciate people sharing their honest feelings, but the ALL CAPS thing does make it hard to read. ;D

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Very unfair to take hard earned money away from ppl that look forward to geting money back only to have it took away .

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Hello all,

I’m currently 27 years old. I got married 4 years ago right out of college. I was unable to find a job for 2 whole years. In the mean-time job searching I was fortunate enough to work at my families restaurant. They don’t offer health insurance. My wife and I were both without health insurance from 2012-2015. I paid the penalty every year. So, for 2016, I found a temporary job within my degree and I was excited about it even with it being temporary. They don’t offer health insurance for me.

I purchased Obama Care in 2016. I went into the doctor for a check up. I asked the doctor, how often should I come in for a check up? His answer was, “you’re still young, you only need a check-up once a year.” Why am I paying a premium that’s an arm and a leg for a simple check-up every month? Better yet, while am I being forced to pay a penalty if I choose not to get health insurance?

I find it to be really unconstitutional to force citizens of this “great country” to buy something that they may or may not need. This choice should all be up to you.

Fast forward to present, it’s 12/14/16. The deadline for Obama Care is 12/15/16 for coverage in 2017. I’ve thought hard about not enrolling. I’m paying a premium every month and I’m not going to the doctor’s all the time. The deductible is also very high.

Is anyone else in the same boat as me?

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Unhappy Connecticut resident

Hello all,

I’m currently 27 years old. I got married 4 years ago right out of college. I was unable to find a job for 2 whole years. In the mean-time job searching I was fortunate enough to work at my families restaurant. They don’t offer health insurance. My wife and I were both without health insurance from 2012-2015. I paid the penalty every year. So, for 2016, I found a temporary job within my degree and I was excited about it even with it being temporary. They don’t offer health insurance for me.

I purchased Obama Care in 2016. I went into the doctor for a check up. I asked the doctor, how often should I come in for a check up? His answer was, “you’re still young, you only need a check-up once a year.” Why am I paying a premium that’s an arm and a leg for a simple check-up every month? Better yet, while am I being forced to pay a penalty if I choose not to get health insurance?

I find it to be really unconstitutional to force citizens of this “great country” to buy something that they may or may not need. This choice should all be up to you.

Fast forward to present, it’s 12/14/16. The deadline for Obama Care is 12/15/16 for coverage in 2017. I’ve thought hard about not enrolling. I’m paying a premium every month and I’m not going to the doctor’s all the time. The deductible is also very high.

Is anyone else in the same boat as me?

sdfsdf

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I pay my own medical bills, No Obamacare, do i still have to pay fine ?

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I think this money is going for people who use their insurance a lot and in some cases because people led an unhealthy lifestyle and have pre existing conditions. Also if you loose your job after the deadline of signing up you end up out there with no way to obtain insurance and that’s not fair. I refuse to buy insurance and have the insurance companies raise your rates whenever they want. You can’t budget for this and you never know when you may loose your job and end up out there without the insurance

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this is bull I can’t afford health care and I also don’t qualify for Obamacare I paid the penalty every year but still do not get medical coverage I can’t afford the medical coverage and I can’t afford the Obamacare

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Tax payers also pay tax to build many hospitals in the US as a business owner under Obama my taxes are higher than any time if this continues another small business will go under at over 30% tax, we pay $250,000 in a hospital levy for Valencia County in New Mexico where no Hospital exists this is in our property taxes. Why? so how do you help anyone your a liar.

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So if ppl who get penalized evenally go to the doctor how come they still get medical bills or why doesn’t there penalty money go towards the doctor bill they will receive after that visit

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What happens if one spouse had insurance thru his employer and the other one could not obtain neither thru own employer nor thru husband’s employer?

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Well if Uncle Sam is not inappropriately spending our tax money that we pay on Medicare Medicaid social security then he wouldn’t need to tax people again for not having health insurance… how is taxing the middle class until we are in the lower class going to help…. or wait maybe the rich want to pay for everyone else’s health care! Yes that’s it …. let’s see how long the wealthy can pay for everyone else’s taxes like the middle class did… I’m pretty sure they e been toooo pampered to even know how to take care if the rest of us!!

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Its a crock of Ship i get penalized for another mother funkas unpaid bills. I dont support these aspholes there not my kids or family ok. They some low life lazy funks that dont want a funking job and exspects shoot for free . Fudge wake the fudge up america.

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Just so we are clear folks, this sort of prejudice attitude is a blight on our country. Not everyone who needs assistance is a lazy moocher. That is just propaganda meant to pit the working poor against the working poorer.

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When someone goes without insurance they pay a penalty as part of their shared responsibility of providing health care to over 320 million Americans.

Where does it say that WE or ANYONE as American citizens are responsible for providing health care to over 320 million other Americans?

I DON’T go to the doctor unless it’s ABSOLUTELY necessary with/without insurance & have been paying this penalty since it’s effect.

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If we are having money taken out of our income taxes every year, and we are being fined the amount that we would pay for health insurance anyway, how come the money that is taken isn’t used to give the individual health insurance? As far as putting these fines into one large account that is used all over, that’s bull shit. We have tons of taxpayer money that is abused. I don’t think it’s fair. If you are going to take my money then use it to pay for my health insurance. They want to forcibly take it-then they should forcibly use it to pay for one year of health care for myself and kid.

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In general the fee is designed to incentives you to get a health plan or to pay in the cost of the cheapest plan if you don’t (and can afford it).

As for how the monetary and taxation system works in the U.S., I suggest reading this page we did on the topic for our other website: http://factmyth.com/how-currency-gets-into-circulation-and-what-happens-to-it/

Essentially tax dollars are going back to the treasury on one side of the equation and being spent on public programs on the other side, thus it is super hard to directly connect revenue with spending in this way. For a simple revenue vs spending breakdown, see national priorities: https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/spending/

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BS,THE HOSPITAL IN MY HOME TOWN LOST THREE GOOD DOCTORS BECAUSE OBAMA CARE DIDNOT PAY THEM .
SO TELL THAT C##P ELSE WHERE

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I’m sorry to hear that. I know many healthcare workers in my town and we haven’t had that issue.

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“Hospitals can write these off, but that is money taken out of the pockets of state taxpayers (a write off = less money paid in taxes).”

NOPE, wrong. That money is taken out of the “pockets” of Congress when losses are written off.

Enacting a law that fines us for NOT having insurance is the same as the mafia asking for protection money, but its only covering the government’s ass. And WE KNOW what the record is on Congressional handling of the country’s finances……so WHY should WE be the ones punished?

I’m stuck in the middle. I bought a house BEFORE this ACA crap happened, and IF we paid for a healthcare plan, we would be homeless. All of our vehicles are paid for, so we couldn’t lose those……we’d be living in them.

ACA = Extortion = Pay Just To Exist

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Why don’t they just take your tax return and put a healthcare plan in affect for you that year? Makes sense!!!??? I still say this is all a scam.

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Well, there is: http://factmyth.com/how-currency-gets-into-circulation-and-what-happens-to-it/

And then there is “the simple answer”. Simple answer is revenue from ACA helps to balance the budget and offset spending (including, importantly for our conversation, healthcare spending; one of the big 3).

If we just say, cut taxes, then we gimp the revenue and we thus either have massive debt accumulation or need to cut spending.

If we cut both, then we don’t have a healthcare program.

So unless we want to dismantle the new deal and great society programs (and the ACA on-top) we can’t just toss a “BS” at this and walk away.

The budget is a complex thing, but generally taxes help fund and spending helps subsidize.

Although, as i’ve said, i’d love to get my hands on a more detailed list of where is the money spent and where does the money go (as i’m sure we all would)… its just that the indirect nature and complexity likely make this difficult beyond what we see from say the CBO.

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Please provide information as to where it is recorded EXACTLY how this money is spent.

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All this is bullshit!… Most americans cant afford obamacare cause the premiums keep going up, and up, and up… sooner or later they’ll so high it’ll be dropped from the face of the earth or americans will straight up leave america and leave it to the so called mid east refugees that get better benifits then the american people.

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I gave 2 stepsons a roof and meals paid for thier share of utilites but obamacare fines me for claiming them in which they nor myself could not afford high premiums from insurance .I could not put them on my employee insurance because of thier age or relationship Thanks Obama

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How can we be sure that is where our money goes?

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So, if my child is un insured, it’s ok for her pediatrician to deny services to her because of lack of insurance, even though I put money into the Healthcare?

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In non emergency situation a person can generally be denied service. It sort of matters on specifics here. It sounds like you should be looking into CHIP which can be accessed through state medicaid. Most kids qualify for some sort of coverage.

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The money should have went to the people who paid it since they have no insurance. Like me and my husband who haven’t seen a doctor in 20 years. And you just took our 650 dollars good job.The choices made the last 20 years in Washington has broke our family. Also no cable tv no fancy cell phones.we pay by the min cell phones while you give them away really…..

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To be clear, ObamacareFacts.com didn’t take any of your money. We are only an informational website trying to provide information about a law that is complex and frustrating for many. We didn’t write the law and we don’t sell insurance. We are happy to provide a place for your to voice your frustrations, but considering the accusations made in your comment. I felt it was important to make it clear that your insurer or the IRS “took (your) 650 dollars…” and that complaining to them (or your government legislative representatives) is probably more effective than writing a comment on a privately run informational website about the Affordable Care Act.

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Another component of unpaid hospital bills is the fact that when the health care organization does not re-coop the cost of the health care services provide then the health care workers are not reimbursed the wages they deserve. Doctors (specialty and surgeons at the top) are for the most part reimbursed fairly but as a Medical Assistant myself; it sickens me that a road construction flagger starts out being paid almost double per hour than what a medical assistant does. The road construction flagger makes more per hour starting than what I make after ten years with the organization. The money has to come from somewhere to keep the health care organization running, and if the patient does not pay their bill……… no raise for me!

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That is the easy fix, Subsidies from these who work hard every day is not the and never be the right Fix. They need to find permanent Fix for this PROBLEM caused by Expensive abusive health care insurance that involves doctors, drugs manufacturing companies and hospitals including medical frauds and law suits.

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I don’t qualified for any discount and I have a very high deductible is no fear that People that don’t work get all the benefits and people like me have to pay fines

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What is the total amount collected so far as to penalties paid by people who do not get health insurance?

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Great question, I would say ask the IRS, but I doubt they have the funding to keep tabs and are busy being sued by the House GOP.

Sorry, joke (sort of).

I am very curious, I’ll look, if a reader knows go ahead and post it here!

Here is a unofficial answer. 7.5 million paid the fee in 2014. Let’s say that is true each year. Let’s also round our fees to $500 (see actual fees here https://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-mandate-exemption-penalty/)

Let’s round up to 15 million. 15 x 500 = 7,500… So 7.5 billion over two years (individual mandate alone). Consider spending is at about 3.8 trillion a year and Rev / Borrowing is about the same.

Healthcare spending (and this was true pre-ACA, including under figures like Bush in relative terms) is at about one trillion.

It really doesn’t seem that unfair to me, but that said, the fee goes up for not having coverage this year, and some people can end up owing more based on income.

I’ve always been for single payer, but that takes a village coming together.

https://www.rt.com/usa/310405-irs-penalty-obamacare-millions/
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/spending/

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No insurance gal

I honestly don’t mind paying extra fees for health insurance. If we all have to pay a fee we should all be entitled to health insurance no matter what your income is. You want to tax me and penalized me then go for it but I should qualify for basic health insurance at least preventative care. It is true if you make little money the obama care aids you and you will end up choosing the cheapest plan to save money how ever you only get preventative coverage and a high deductible. You pay a lot a month and get the minimum coverage ( just preventative care). Why don’t get all pitch in and pay for health care but we are all qualified for insurance based on what we pay. I think 695 a year penalty fee or 2.5% of your salary can qualify for at least 2 doctor visits a year. My penalty will $862.50 is I pay that penalty shouldn’t I qualify for preventative care at least. Like 2 office visits and a few labs and x ray. Is 862.50 not enough money for me to go see the doctor a few times? shoot even if some of it goes to healthcare why can some of the penalty cover at least 2 office visits a year! hahah but with Obama care I have to pay 1,800 for 2 office visit a year because the plan I chose and on top I have to pay 6,800 for deductible to any additional coverage. I feel obama care if not equal.

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To anyone that does not have Obamacare; but does have a tax agreement with the IRS. I have an agreement to pay a certain amount each month through an automatic withdrawal. In February I found that without the IRS EVEN NOTIFYING me, they STOPPED my payments due to me not having Obamacare. I could not get it reinstated until I paid the $95 fine which as soon as I got the information it was done. It still took me until April for them to reinstate it due to me REFUSING to REDO the paperwork AGAIN. I didn’t screw up so why should I fix their mistake? VICTORY! I know they can do what they want and this proved it.

They didn’t have all the facts about it and those who were waiting were also charged interest on the IRS fines. This isn’t right. How is a person that lives in a wealthy zip code expected to pay $903 per month when you only make $10 over the requirement to get the help? I feel sorry for everyone having to deal with this corruption, but I REFUSE to pay insurance to a country that 61% of the budget goes to defense. When you show me the money goes to help instead of murder, then we can discuss it, but not until.

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The penalty is theft plain and simple

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We already pay taxes that go into Social Security, Medicare, Planned Parenthood (which I DO NOT support). This additional penalty is quite dubious.

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Soooo. . . . They take money from people that can’t afford health insurance and give it to people that get it for free or greatly discounted. Shared responsibility??? Maybe I should get fired from my job have 12 kids, I mean paychecks, live with their mother, never get married and get no cost health insurance and a huge tax check. Damn that just wouldn’t be fair if I did that.

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I’d say that isn’t exactly how it works, but that would be an overstatement. It doesn’t work like that whatsoever, and i’m sure you know it and are being cheeky.

In 30 states people who can’t afford coverage get access to Medicaid, in 20 states they get access to charity if they are lucky. You’ll have to look up how the welfare system works for non-custodial parents yourself, but in short having 12 kids doesn’t sound like a good idea regardless of where you stand on issues… and gotta pay taxes to get tax credits. So, I mean, if that is what upsets you… fine. I’m more with the other party who thinks corporate welfare is a bigger problem than some imaginary person with 12 kids taking too many tax credits.

But certainly, it all feels a little unfair from the middle… more work to be done for sure.

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I personally know a lady with 3 kids her husband got deported. She is eligaly living in the country but since her kids are US citizens she is on welfare,food stamps and has medical ins for all of them.. Oh and she doesn’t drive so a van picks her up and takes her to the doctor,market ect.. When is the abuse going to stop. I’m 49 yrs old have worked since I can remember I hope when I retire theirs alittle money left for my needs. Help are Vets for god sake..Every one and their mother relies on our military..

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It’s unfair to the American people that Mr. Obama lied that healthcare would be affordable. Before anybody knew what the cost would be. 44 million American’s can’t afford it period no matter what they make and subsidies available. He pointed his finger to the people and said “You will do what I say”. To me that is being a Dictator. No care what so ever for the people. Only a way to make Americans pay into government debt. People really need to make themselbes heard to there Representatives and demand a better way for people to afford healthcare. Inhope that this gets repealed and that Hillary is not President who just wants to follow the foot steps of Obama. Another Dictator. Might as well join Russia.

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BS. It’s corruption of our Government. The reason we did not pay is because it was not afforable for us to pay $350 a month with a 13,000. Deductible. You tell me how that is afforable. Now we are working part time to make sure we can afford to pay $5,000.00 back to IRS. $3,000.00 was a penalty for not Obamacare.

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That fee is higher than the max fee unless you have a high income in an expensive state…. but exacts aside, i’m not here to debate frustration. I’d only point out that things of this nature are typically complex and thus require critical thinking and a cool head.

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We need an itemized statements saying where the money’s go I don’t trust the government to do it right I think they steal all they can from us

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Al Gore said in 1996 that there was a $300 billion in costs associated with Medicare. Assuming correctly that nothing has been done to properly address fraud, waste and abuse, one may assume that this number has doubled in 2016, to $600 billion. If you do the math, $600 billion divided by 40 million uninsured, it comes out to $15,000 in waste, fraud and abuse in the system per uninsured. Does this mean that we could in fact cover all the uninsured simply by stopping fraud? Or is it too difficult for Washington DC politicians to correct this issue?

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So why do my healthcare insurance premiums keep going up?

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Because covering sick people is expensive and healthcare is a $3 trillion dollar private industry.

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is it not true that the health choices people make have a large effect on the costs overall? for example, people who let themselves become obese from food craving and lack of exercise, or people who do drugs, smoke alcoholics and people who wait until death to fix things.
Therefore, since your health condition is mostly your responsibility, then why should healthy people who take care of themselves have to give up the American Dream so unhealthy habits can proliferate among irresponsible people? I get the idea that costs should be shared, but what about responsibilities?

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True. It is a collective responsibility to make sure our American collective is healthy. I think we forget this, because, lets just be honest: corporate greed, consumer driven culture, a disregard for morality and ethics as a society… essentially “greed is good” “trickle down” bitting us in the butt. Kind of like the side effects on a pill bottle, feels good now, may cause internal bleeding later. But hey, we only need to nudge the ship and steer it in the other direction. If only we could come together and stop fighting over politics, ya know?

I could go on, sure you could too.

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Is there a income cut off point for tax penalty? Why would a person with no job be penalized?

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Yes there is it is the tax filing threshold https://obamacarefacts.com/federal-tax-filing-requirement-thresholds/

You can get more information by looking at the instructions for form 8965.

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When is government going to penalize smokers who could pay for healthcare if they did not use money on tobacco

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Insurers can charge a surcharge for tobacco use, but the government doesn’t fine anyone for it.

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Well, that’s all well and good as long as these penalty monies go toward Medicare fund or the VA/Champus/Tricare fund. I feel that the government has missed the mark. They need to go after the insurance companies instead. I worked in a medical records department and found it appalling as to they way some of these insurance companies’ appeal departments worked. A large insurance company in PA says they can’t afford to man a desk to receive certified/signature required medical records for appeals. I would say that is a breach on the insurance’s part. This is the kind of stuff that the insurance companies need to be fined for and heavily. I used to have a patient always request 2 copies of an itemized bill because he said that Major Medical would ALWAYS lose the first copy and they would only pay if he sent the second copy. This happened for years until his death. I mean come on, I’m only one person witnessing this happening. I’m sure there are more people that work in healthcare that see this stuff but just have become complacent to it. Why doesn’t the government ask the people that handle these records and account day in and day out what we think should be done. Their heads would spin with what they would hear. The CEOs and department heads of these healthcare facilities probably have no idea of the crap that goes down with these insurance companies. Its making people insurance poor. Eat or pay for health insurance. The insurance companies are the ones getting rich, they have the money, go after them.

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The only way to reduce costs in health care is:
Ans:
Health care should be paid with cash in a completely open marketplace. Insurance should be for temporary or catastrophic purposes only. People should pay for their health care out of their own pockets, not from taxpayers. That will keep costs down and make people more responsible in taking care of their bodies.

Exceptions will have to be made for pre-existing conditions and people with genetic problems, however, the vast majority of people have no such issues and should pay their own way.

Does car insurance pay DUI or speeding tickets? How about oil changes? Motor rebuilds? Window washing? Brake work? Tires?
So then I could say that there IS an incentive to DRIVE PROPERLY and MAINTAIN the CAR. With health care, there is no personal responsibility to do anything. And for criminals, illegals, refugees and welfare people, there is absolutely zero personal responsibility involved.

It is this lack of personal responsibility that has ruined the system. In the same manner, the lack of accounting responsibility among Congress, the POTUS and the FED, has created a $19 trillion debt spiral catastrophe. Now we are doing the same thing to health care and education: no accounting, no personal responsibilities.

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This an unfair tax penalty. We are being punished for the actions of others. Obama care needs to be abolished

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I appreciate the answer, but I spent time uninsured last year and am paying a $600 penalty. However, I did visit a doctor in November and paid the bill out of my pocket (coincidentally it was $650) so I was responsible and did not expect anyone else or any charity to pay my bill. I think this should count for something.
Also, when they found out I was paying cash the bill got cut in half from the amount they would have billed an insurance company, if I had one.
Now, all I can afford is a plan with a $1500 deductible. Go back to the same visit and I would have had to pay the full $1200 bill out of my pocket (aside from my monthly premiums) *because* I have insurance and need to cover my deductible. Ironic and ridiculous. Insurance is costing me more all around.

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Very well stated the system is a mess and government never makes anything better

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Can’t afford , if you’re a criminal and incarcerated you’re exempt and so on . Hospitals can charge you whatever they deem necessary. Where does this leave the average blue collar worker? Broke and afraid to get medical attention. Even if they do have healthcare coverage. The cost is still astronomical.

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So, here’s what your answer tells me:
1. About 88% of uninsured Americans don’t pay their hospital bills. In 2011 there was nearly $50 billion in unpaid hospital bills.

2. Hospitals can write these off, but that is money taken out of the pockets of state taxpayers (a write off = less money the hospitals & doctors pay in income tax).

3.When you pay the tax penalty it goes toward healthcare spending on ACA subsidies, Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal and state healthcare programs (doctors, hospitals, & healthcare administration).

So, you’re taking money away from the tax payer and giving it to the healthcare industry, because they’re not paying tax dollars, which comes out of the tax payer’s pocket.

In a nut-shell, the doctor/hospital doesn’t pay $600 in taxes, because the tax payer didn’t pay his hospital bill. Since the doctor/hospital didn’t pay the $600, you have to take it out of the tax payers pocket, which isn’t fair. To correct this unfair situation, you fine the tax payer $600 and give it to the doctor/hospital. So, the doctor/hospital saved $600 in taxes they didn’t pay, costing the tax payer $600. In turn, you fine the tax payer an additional $600 and give it to the doctor/hospital.

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That isn’t an incorrect assessment (although the word “indirectly” belongs in front of a lot of those statements). I didn’t say it was a perfect system, I just said that is how it works. We can do better!

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Thanks for the answer. Is there a way to see exactly how much the Nation brings in annually from this “penalty”?

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The best bet would be to check the latest CBO budget reports. The projections are in there.

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I am pretty sure our state tax(provides medicaid ) and social security gets taking out of our paychecks already,so this answer is b.s.!!

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That isn’t totally correct. We pay into social security, so that is true, but Medicaid is a join funded program. Also we have to cover the bills regardless of how much money we take in.

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i dont think its not right because i already pay taxes , and Medicare is already taken out my checks and for my money to be taken for
somebody else owed back hospital bill aint right.i worker hard all year round and for what for the government to take back My money im a poor person I got bills Like the next Person.

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I don’t think that fair to pay for medicaid and medicare to other when we can’t afford to pay in the first place. That penalty money should go towards my unpaid hospital and doctors bill.This is nothing but a scam. God is not please and vengeance is the lord when you take advantage of people who are already poor. my doctors bill is over $1000. 00 dollars when I have to go for stomach problems. That’s not fair and it isn’t right.

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i also would like to know where this money is going. i cannot afford health insurance. i dont make alot of money. when i try to get some help they always want to know what my gross earnings are which is a bunch of bull. i never see my gross earnings. i might be able to afford health insurance if i wasnt being taxed to death i make between 20,000 to 28,000 a year and the taxes i have to pay are almost 7000 dollars they need to go by what you actually take home

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Ok but what if somebody works hard and can not afford health care!!! When they go to the doctors or hospital they pay out of packet!!! Why should they have to pay for everyone else when they pay their taxes on every pay check!!! That is unfair for the middle class people because they are the ones that are hit the hardest!!!

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I am disabled and I get 900.a month my rent is 650.and healthcare wants1200.a month for me.do I move my cardboard box in the Whitehouse lawn or is this the end for me.nowhere to live but wait I have health care.the truth is before this Obama carp took place my meds were 40.month now there over 200.for one what happened it was more affordable before Obama ruined america.Come on republicans

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I pay cash every time my son or I visit the doctor. I pay the same day before I leave the office. I should not be penalised because others do not pay their bills. I am only obligated to pay for my own health care bills. Don’t make us pay for others. This is a bunch of &*(%#&!!!

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This Obama care is an attack on people like me who choose not to have insurance because I pay cash for my health care and have for years . Talk to your doc and tell him you’d like a cash quote for any test or minor procedure . You’ll find that your out of pocket expenses are much less than paying for insurance with unreachable deductibles for reasonably healthy folks . Furthermore , most maintenance prescriptions for conditions such as hypertension for example can be obtained for little or no cost at certain outlets provided you ask for the generic equivalent when your doc writes the prescription . If your doctor will not offer these alternatives , get a new doctor . Doctors are as frustrated as we are with this whole mess . In short , Obama care is a punishment for hard working folks who have paid their own way for years , to provide for those who do not contribute to society and are a drain on government resources . This may sound cruel , but those who choose to sit on their ass and not contribute , deserve nothing . I will not pay additional penalties after my tax return has been pillaged by leftist theives , this goes against all values of hard work and self sufficiency , I am not privaleged and was not born with a silver spoon .The working class is under attack and this criminal law is living proof . I will never comply .

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I have AIDS, I cannot afford a monthly insurance premium of $650.00 & therefore cannot get my life sustaining meds.
My paycheck NETS me $3000.00 per month. My expenses are $3500.00
My salary is too high to receive any assistance from government agencies for people with AIDS. But now I have to pay an $1100.00 a year ACA penalty to fund other people for their healthcare coverage.
It’s pitiful! So I am left to die without medications.

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Yikes, very sad story. In this situation you have to think health insurance first. There are lots of ways to bring down income, take deductions, and figure out the cost balance of coverage and living. But 100% get the situation conceptually, that is really difficult and a bad side-effect of the ACA. We know lots of people with AIDS are helped greatly by the ACA, but that is only a side point I would feel you would want me to point out.

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Thank you for your comment.
Yes, lots of people with AIDS are helped by the ACA. I truly am happy for them. However,
I was told by ICAN in Florida, that in order for “me” to receive financial support, I would have to be at a certain income level (which would leave me no choice but to take a drastic reduction in my salary, therefore not being able to pay rent, car payment, ETC…) the government is willing to help me as long as I remove myself from the middle class, and enter into the low income class.
I am a hard working, tax paying woman. This is unbelievable!
I feel like they are trying to take my dignity as well.

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That answer just don’t seem right. I pay taxes therefor I take care of my responsibility to those who can’t or won’t work. With this Obamacare I get my hours cut and now I can’t afford health insurance. Making me pay for something I can’t afford is and always will be unconstitutional.

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The answer I think is pretty spot on. It doesn’t actually address every aspect of taxation, subsidization, regulation and the economy right? It’s just a short answer eluding to the fact that money paid in goes into the pot which is our governments budget. One of the biggest expenditures (before and after the ACA) is healthcare. The old system wasn’t working, this doesn’t mean the new one is perfect.

Feelings aside, technically as the supreme court ruled it constitutional it is.

Complaints welcome, but the above should be noted even if you disagree.

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The fee on businesses for not providing health insurance for 50 or more employees, has not helped many of those businesses provide health insurance. Instead many of those businesses reduced their employees to 49 or less employees to avoid paying a fee. This was especially true in the resteraunt industry, causing waiting lines and production time to get longer, and more frustrated customers. I’ve seen it first hand. Many resteraunts that should have 60 or 70 employees to function adequately reduced the amount of employees to below 50 in order to avoid paying the fee, and many customers had to wait longer for the product of their purchase. The owners would rather not have coverage for their employees than pay the fee so they lower the amount of employees in spite of risking customer satisfaction.

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Three people are in a car crash and then rushed to a trauma center one has blue Cross one has Medicaid the other is uninsured so who becomes priority over the other when trying to save thier life?greed in this country started with the pilgrims and has flourished ever since.once we were able to reduce the number of so called tyrants we could name our first president.greed is the seed for a crop the more it grows,more field is needed.

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Then go and fine that 88% that don’t pay, stop taking hard working people’s money! I pay my bills, I have one hospital bill currently and I just paid some on it last week.

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…all taxes paid go into a single fund which gets used to run our economy. Once the funds enter a single account, they are meshed with “other” taxable funds producing ONE pool of ALOT of money. If you can honestly say or believe there are one or even ten government alphabet organizations keeping track of which funds belong to whom, shame on you. Democrats see ONE account and fight tooth & nail to extract every penny for whatever pet project they desire.

This ONE account should have to be managed as stringently as the FDIC requires fiduciary institutions. Yet that will never happen nor will it occur to anyone to figure out what the funds are spent on.

…nearly $50 billion in unpaid hospital bills. Maybe the hospitals should report the individuals who are not paying and the IRS should withhold their refunds? It always amazes me, how someone who pays the minimum income tax receives a tax refund 2 or 3 times the amount of another someone who pays 2 or 3 times more income tax?

What ever happened to accountability or pride?? Guessing those values are not as profitable…

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Obamacare fines rise as subsidies go to people who don’t exist.

http://watchdog.org/231832/obamacare-fines-subsidies/

The IRS fined more than 7.5 million Americans who didn’t have health insurance in 2014, even as Obamacare subsidies flowed to people who didn’t even exist.

The Treasury Department reported last week the number of Americans who faced fines because of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate was significantly higher than the Obama administration expected. For 2014, the IRS projected that roughly 6 million would face fines, but the final total was 1.5 million higher.

It was the first year in which buying health insurance was made mandatory under the ACA, with penalties of $95 or 1 percent of total income – whichever was higher – for people who did not comply.

The average penalty collected for the 2014 tax year was about $200, the IRS reported.

“Although we have not yet completed our post-filing analysis, we are committed to conducting additional outreach to taxpayers, including letters to these specific taxpayers who did not have to report or make a payment. These letters will inform them about available exemptions and note that they may benefit from amending their return,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

Penalties will increase to $395 or 2 percent of income per person in 2015; that will jump to $695 or 2.5 percent of income in 2016.

Those penalties are supposed to force Americans to purchase health insurance — or to at least make it financially wise for them to do so.

To make it easier to buy health insurance, the ACA has a system of subsidies tied to the federal tax code. The IRS is responsible for handing out insurance subsidies to people who use the federal exchange — and will get to continue doing so after last month’s high-profile Supreme Court ruling — while other individuals’ subsidies flow through the state-level exchanges.

But an investigation by the Government Accountability Office recently revealed that fake applicants who enrolled in health insurance programs through the federal exchange were receiving subsidies. Those phony applicants had initially enrolled during 2014, but they were automatically re-enrolled and continued to benefit from tax subsidies in 2015, the GAO said.

The GAO was successful in 11 of 12 attempts to register fictitious people with the federal health insurance exchange. In seven of those cases, the fake applications were missing vital pieces of information, which should have raised red flags during the approval process.

RELATED: Obamacare punishes businesses for helping employees pay for health care

The application process used by the Healthcare.Gov federal exchange is not set up to detect fraud, concluded Seto Bagdoyan, chief of GAO audits and investigations, who submitted testimony to the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month.

“(Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services) officials told us there have been no cases of fraudulent applications or documentation referred to the U.S. Department of Justice or the HHS Office of Inspector General, because its document-processing contractor has not identified any fraud cases to CMS,” Bagdoyan said. “However, as noted earlier, the contractor is not required to detect fraud, nor is it equipped to do so.”

U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the GAO report shows that the federal health insurance exchange has “failed spectacularly.”

“The administration has known about these problems for over a year now and has apparently not taken the necessary steps to rectify them,” Hatch said in a statement. “It seems obvious, at least to me, that the administration has been preoccupied with signing up as many applicants as possible, ignoring potential fraud and integrity issues along the way.”

Democrats on the committee downplayed concerns raised in the GAO report, since it only dealt with fictitious people and did not seem to hurt anyone’s access to the insurance exchanges.

“Let’s be perfectly clear about one thing: The report up for discussion today is not about any real-world fraud,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon.

Any real person who knowingly falsified information on a HealthCare.gov application could face the prospect of a $250,000 fine.

The penalties for simply refusing to buy insurance are not that steep — at least not yet.

But at least they are being paid by real Americans.

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I pay everything I do out of pocket, can everyone do this… No. Why should I be penalized bc others can’t afford to do so?

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When I go to the doctor I Pay in fool nobody’s paying for me. I pay taxes that take care of my Medicare why would my penalizing money go to pay for others to have health insurance when I can’t afford to pay it myself. Obama you can go get f***** you piece of s***…

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The health insurance penalty is punishing the poor. Rich people could afford insurance. We the poor are being punished for our circumstances and for not having money. I feel this penalty is discriminatory. Most people make $36,000 per year. Paying high rent, food leaves very little to pay for the average insurance. For women over 50 the average monthly payment health insurance is $250-300. That’s alot if money. Unless you have an income of $25,000 or less maybe the government will help. Obama healthcare has not help. It’s divided society more since only the ones who cannot afford to the monthly payments are getting penalized. I hope the future president sees the discrimination behind this health insurance penalty. It definitely is making the insurance companies rich.

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So basically, those Americans who exercise regularly, have a healthy diet, and maintain a low stress lifestyle are being penalized to pay for the millions of irresponsible Americans out there eating junk food, using up huge resources, not exercising and gaining weight, and basically overwhelming our Healthcare system because they are fat, lazy and stupid.

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You guys got that right! Home of the free, the good ol’ USA. If things keep going as they are we will no longer have a nation and I have a feeling the future doesn’t look bright for Americans. I’m not even in my 30’s and I am more than likely the most optimistic person you could meet and even this road our country is taking makes me very pessimistic; even as a young person I can see the corruption and it makes me disappointed. It makes me very upset for my kids who will have to be raised in this uncertain, irresponsible, disrespectful, corrupt world.

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So basically I can not get insurance for my wife because it is so expensive. Then we pay a penalty because of that. That money goes to pay for the people who do not pay their hospital bills. Now when and if my wife does need to go to the doctor, she now has to pay the doctor (which we do pay for because we are supposed to) in addition to the penalty. So basically, we, who make too much money to qualify for assistance because we have jobs, have to pay for the health care of people who do not have jobs. Do you not see the ignorance of this. The problem was not fixed. You just shifted the responsibility of payment to those who have a job. In doing so, you have made it more difficult for the working people to live day to day and insured the lazy, non-working, low lifes who sit at home still have to do nothing and depend on others. You have no idea the impact this law has on the average person.

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Right on !!! Exactly !!
Let’s rob from the middle class and give to the poor now ? Makes so much sense .

I want my FREAKIN 2088$ back from the government !!!! This must be appealed ASAP

Americas middle class is NOT a Freakin charity class !!!!

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BTW, MY FIANCE IS PREGNANT. SHE HAS HEALTH INSURANCE THE SAME AS I, SHE HAS BEEN TO THE OB 3 TIMES ONE ULTRASOUND. NOW WE OWE 800 DOLLARS OF WHAT OUR INSURANCE DIDNT COVER WITH 7 MONTHS TO GO. UNBELIEVABLE! MAYBE SHE SHOULD JUST QUIT HER JOB AND GET ON MEDICAID AND FOOD STAMPS RIGHT? AFTERALL IT IS THE “AMERICAN WAY”. SMH

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I’m thinking the same thing! I will get a divorce and go on Welfare! Why be married and have 2 incomes when it doesnt benefit our family. If I were a single mom, I would qualify for food, medicaid and a free education. I suggest not marrying your GF until she gets a free college education so she can make good $, you could qualify for the same if you applied as a single dad (sharing the child). In some states there is Medicaid for pregnant women automatically if you do not have your own insurance and make a certain amount. All these people are scamming the government and getting away with it. Why not! It doesnt pay to be a hard working decent, law abiding, taxpaying American

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She should quit.

You should blame the feminist. Because of THEM you as a husband recieve less money THEN you WOULD if THEY (woman) were not working like it has ALWAYS been until feminism happened which was a government tool to brainwash woman to become work slaves to the government instead of house wife. Which homemakers do jobs like cook. Private teacher, maid and babysitter. So instead of YOUR wife doing all that for her family. She was brainwashed to be one those as a career. A person doing all that jobs being paid for it. Is looked up to in society. If your wife chose to do it all for free for her family. Shed be looked down on. The logic is absurd. You sir would have to be a millionaire to afford a person to do all THAT for you.

But a homemaker is looked at as unsuccessful in life right? You must be a hired cook, teacher, maid or day care worker to be credited for all tht work.

For me idc how stupid society is or HOW im looked at ill be a teacher. Maid, cook and day care worker dor my own kids! Instead of being brainwashed to be a slave.

And btw my husband works and pays his taxss. So he basically pays for our food stamps and medical by paying the taxes.

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I JUST PAID A 271 PENALTY ON MY 2015 RETURN. IM OK WITH IT I GUESS BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.. HYPOCHONDIACS AND FORMER DRUG ABUSERS ON SSI AND DISABILITY ON GOV’T HEALTHCARE. IT IS TRUE MOST UNINSURED AMERICANS DO NOT PAY THEIR HOSPITAL BILLS; HOWERVER, THIS CREATES A RIPPLE EFFECT. HOSPITALS ARE NOT BEING REIMBURSED FOR THE CARE THEY GIVE SO WHEN A FORMER SUBSTANCE ABUSER OR A HYPOCHONDRIAC WALK INTO A DOCTORS OFFICE ON GOV’T HEALTHCARE THEY MILK THEM FOR EVERY LAST CENT THEY CAN GET. MY MENTALLY ILL/HYPOCHONDRIAC MOTHER IN LAW IS ON 20+ MEDICATIONS! WITH A DOCTORS APPOINTMENT 3-4 TIMES A WEEK! HONESTLY THERES NOT MUCH WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN BUT EVERYTIME SHE GOES TO THE DOCTOR THE NONSENSE BEGINS, AFTERALL THEY HAVE TO MAKE MONEY SOMEHOW. THIS WOMAN IS A FORMER DRUG ABUSER AND VERY WEAK MINDED SO SHE THINKS SHES DYING EVERYTIME SHE HAS A HEADACHE! I KNOW SHES NEVER HELD A STEADY JOB EITHER TO RECIEVE THESE BENEFITS ITS REDICULOUS! BUT TO A DOCTOR SHES A “CASH COW’ THEY GOTTA KEEP THE LIGHTS ON SOMEHOW. IN MY OPINION IF YOU WANT TO FIX THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM SAVE US ALL ALOT OF MONEY BY NOT ACCEPTING ANYONE WITH A HISTORY OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE.. PROBLEM SOLVED! AND IF YOU DIDNT PAY IN… THE GOVT WONT PAY OUT. NOW THEIR JUST TRYING TO COVER THEIR TALE TO KEEP PAYING FOR HEALTHCARE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DONT DESERVE IT. IM GUILTY I HAVE AN UNPAID MEDICAL BILL.. HOW ABOUT TAKE MY 271 DOLLARS AND GIVE IT TO THEM? TAKE IT OFF MY CREDIT HISTORY! THIS IS MADNESS! ITS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OBAMA THE INDUSTRY NEEDS THE MONEY BUT THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER APPROACH?

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Anyone paying a fine and that does not have health insurance, and you get cancer, very sick, injured or anything out of your control and you think your going to be able to pay that large hospital bill. It’s people like you that think it won’t happen to them so I don’t need to pay for health insurance. At least you would be covered even if you have high deductibles as I rather have a higher deductible that I have to meet instead of a 50,000.00 hospital bill or higher. It’s all based on income. Try living on $1279.00 a month and having your medigap premium that is $314.00 a month and don’t qualify for Obamacare because I have Medicare because of my disabilty. I was healthy and took care of myself and I’m 50 and was hurt a customer at work, but I didn’t sue my employer even though I was on the clock as he was a small business owner. I got to a point I could no longer work in the restaurant business because of my limitations as the customer grabbed me and hurt my neck and I have two rods and ten screws in my neck and I have degenerative disk disease and had 3 rods put in each SI joint and osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and tested for rheumatoid arthritis. I went to work doing office work for a large insurance company as my body wouldn’t allow me anything else. After my surgeries I can no longer work. I never thought I would be like this. I qualify for a medicaid spend down account where I have to meet the first 447.00 a month. How in the hell can I pay my bills. People complaining about making $100,000.00 a year, I’ll trade you shoes anyday.

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So more money is going to the people who are already getting fully taken care of. Living assistance, insurance, food stamps, everything. Let’s make it mandatory that these people have a certain amount of time to get a job and completely off assistance and mandatory random drug test in order to keep their benefits while being weened off. I work two jobs, 12 hours a day 5 days a week and still have a harder time than these people whom we are just throwing more and more money to.

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So in essence, if i understand your answer, I will be paying a penalty for people who don’t pay their medical bills. I will be contributing to yet another fund that may be miss appropriated by the Federal Government in the future, much like the Social Security Benefits has been miss appropriated.
The tax penalty’s should be placed back into the Social Security to credit the money taken by our government who applied it to other funds. Hospitals are run independently and their loss should be consumed as every other business owner’s loss is consumed. The tax payers should not be held accountable for the loss incurred from Independently Owned businesses.
Further to force me to buy something I will not use and penalizing me for not buying it is akin to Mr. Obama being forced to buy a pair of size 14 shoes(assuming he pays approximately what the monthly premium of Obamacare would be, for a pair of shoes) that he will not wear(because he wears a size 12 shoe) and penalizing him for refusing to buy them.

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So now do you see why the individual mandate is the main problem with the ACA? Remove that mandate, remove the problem.

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If we just removed the mandate, and did nothing else, the whole system would implode. Google “Heritage foundation, individual mandate” it’ll explain the story from the 90’s about when they tried this and how the mandate is a right-wing idea and an alternative to single payer.

No one likes the mandate, just like no one likes taxes.

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I think it’s ridiculous that I worked my whole life and I pay medicade that I can’t even get for people who don’t work and do nothing then I get penalized for not having insurance. Then insurance was supposed to be affordable for everyone , well that’s false .

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I have NOT gone to the doctor in about 10 years! I have to pay for everyone else? WTF? Why am I now responsible and losing my tax refund for something that I have never done or caused????

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“in general all taxes paid go into a single fund which gets used to run our economy.”

I think you have misused the word “economy” here .. it should read our tax dollars go into the government pocket to misappropriate how they see fit. Many other people have been put in prison for lesser charges of extortion / racketeering.

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Ripped off, not Well off

Hogwash! This is inter-generational taxation without representation. Now that the mass of the baby boomers are coming of age (expensive to insure and care for) the rest of us are left to fill the bill. In Europe this is called austerity, in the USA it is called being responsible for the less fortunate. It is to bad that these hippies (who we are mainly paying for through this) spent their youth smoking dope, having cheap college and affordable care. Then when they sobered up, they voted politicians into office that took these things from my generation. This ACA only states that insurers offer “affordable” care and plans. It does nothing to guarantee quality or value. This is such BS, the insurance companies are so juiced into the government that they actually believe they are part of it! Now they have the authority to levy taxes! We are supposed to believe that this “general fund” will not be emptied into the pockets of private insurance companies to cover the “costs” of the uninsured. That my fellow doctoral student who posted above, is why no clear answer has been given to you about the EXACT thing these monies will be spent on/ paid to. I will continue to withhold my money from these unscrupulous, corrupt, inhumane mega-corporations until a fair system is put into place where EVERY American is covered with EQUAL coverage.

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In so many words the money goes into a giant slush fund the goverment uses as they see fit. Obama Care was never about Health Care, it was about soaking millions of Americans out of their tax refund amoung other sinister goals. Like Social Security their is no money put aside other than worthless bonds/IOUs the government offers for our hard earned cash. Meanwhile back in Washington they continue to barrow trillions of dollars to support their Ponzi scheme and float the illusion of well being. You can verifie all this information, just google it and face the truth.

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For every jerk trying to game the system there are people who really do care. There are many provisions in the PPACA that help no one but the people. Sure there are a few greasy palms and businesses benefiting, but it’s not fair to distill all the hard work down to a Ponzi scheme. Also there is nothing saying the people can’t come together and put their foot down and demand another round of reforms that addresses some of the sticking points.

https://obamacarefacts.com/summary-of-provisions-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act/

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This has to be one of the biggest rip-off of the American middle class in the history of this country. This bull crap insurance that I have through my employer accomplishes nothing more than subtracting 170 from my check every month. They do not cover my doctor visits or my meds. I am a healthy 30something guy who is stuck paying for deadbeat baby boomers and low income people so the insurance companies do not have to foot the bill. The low income people will continue to not be able pay their bills at the ER on their fast food job incomes, and the rich get to pay a whole lot less of a percent of their yearly income to insurance plans. Now they get my whole tax return to punish me for not buying their product. Thanks alot….

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Just so we are clear. American has like 40% top tax rate. That means like everyone is paying out a chunk of their money to help other people and themselves. This is frustrating for everyone, but not everyone reacts to it by pointing fingers at their elders, the sick, the poor, and their employer. Just saying.

Although to be fair, health insurance is expensive for most and we can and must come up with better solutions together.

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Is this frustrating for everyone?
NO, NOT FOR EVERYONE.
Bush Administration’s tax cuts for the wealthy cost about $1.8 trillion over 15 years.
Middle and Lower tax-payers are suffering the most and are treated very unfair.

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Do you have any clue what the top income Americans pay in taxes (not a hedge fund or the top ten richest Americans, but the other 3.2 million of the 1% say)? For example a business owner who is paying business expenses and their own costs, but lacks an offshore account or the real .001% income and assets that lets them make money of capital gains rather than hard-work. The answer is A LOT. How about the health insurers who, despite doing well since 2010 took a hit this year. How about the employers trying to adjust their business to pay for the mandate. How about the people in the Government who care about the budget and are trying to solve the budget crisis despite their less than helpful peers. I think you misjudge what the bush tax cuts were and how they affected the average person. Everyone’s struggles look different, but there are very few people who have a utopian non-frustration when it comes to health care.

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ObamacareIsUnAmerican

This is such B.S. What a bunch of indoctrinated sheep. Nobody has any shared responsibility to provide health care to any other American. This is what tyranny is defined as. We are not a Socialist country. We are free men and women, and cannot be forced to purchase any service we don’t want or need, regardless of the illegalities of the law (including the Supreme Court assistance in writing the law).

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Insurance is a group fund that everyone pays into and only the unlucky take out of. This is because people can’t absorb catastrophic loss. So all things like life insurance, health insurance, home insurance, car insurance, protect against catastrophic costs.

This is by definition socialist. The only thing private market is the option to pay into health insurance (fee only) and life insurance (car and home are mandatory essentially). So if everyone needs health insurance and a group fund is socialist by definition…

Truth is the way we are handling this fund is capitalist to a T. Think about how rich people are getting off the healthcare system. Why are we paying private companies to hold our money when we could just pool it? I mean, the answer might be more, not less socialism. Food for thought. I’m happy with a market driven healthcare economy, but it doesn’t seem to be working so well for many of you judging by complaints.

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Please don’t try to blame high health care costs on the free market. If we truly had a free market system for healthcare, it would not be nearly expensive as it is. It is extremely controlled and regulated, leaving little room for the innovation and competition necessary to improve quality and reduce prices. More regulation (which is almost always set in place to supposedly “protect” consumers) just ends up protecting the companies that can hire lobbyists and influence the regulatory agencies.

To give you an example of what could be possible if we truly had a free market for health care, we chose to have our child in a birthing center staffed by well-trained, very caring midwives. Our pre-natal and post natal visits, as well as the cost of the actual birth which took place in a pretty nice private suite attended by several midwives who were present the whole time cost a little over 2,000- total. By contrast, my wife had to pay a visit to the er a little later. She spent about 6 hrs in a bed, and just a few minutes with a doctor. That visit ended up costing about 8-900.00 if I remember right. We just need the freedom to make our own choices without all the government regulation and oversight that is destroying the healthcare industry. More government involvement is not, and never has been, the answer.

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Without Government involvement the free market refuses to help the sickest and poorest. So we need a solution there. Also without regulation people run the risk of being dropped when they are sick. Generally all the things the ACA fixes. We don’t necessarily need the subsidization / taxation solution in the ACA, but think we do actually need the regulation. I bet there is a happy middle ground to be found, just need to come together and put a little more effort in.

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I do agree there; some major changes need to be made and this needs to be fixed up for everyone to benefit. I have to also say if the government did not approve of health companies merging or consolidating their companies together then costs might actually be lower. These insurance companies say they want to combine to make cost lower but it sure looks like they’re combining to put competition out and put costs to whatever they would like to. If you look at how many health insurance companies there are there are not many per state. While I looked at health coverage I found maybe 3 major companies.

@Amanda, You wonder why only 3 major health insurance in one state. It’s a monopoly!!

Giving to the less fortunate is called charity. Last I checked, charity is optional not a requirement. There is no such thing as “fair share”. This plan is far from “affordable” to the middle class. Since its existence my premiums, deductibles and copayments have skyrocketed. I pay way more but I am getting less. I’m all for those who walk into emergency rooms and never pay a dime paying their “fair share” but I want proof that that is what is happening with this policy. Instead it feels like People who were already paying their own way by being insured are suffering and those who weren’t paying continue not to pay. I’ve even been told by someone who chooses not to purchase insurance that it’s cheaper to pay the fine. So yes, I want a detailed description of where this penalty money is going and how it is working to make insurance affordable for everyone. I’d also like to know where the money to pay the person’s salary who is replying to everyone’s comments and questions about Obamacare with a big “Fact” logo attached to every response coming from? Your responses are geared toward pushing Obama’s agenda and spout his rhetoric. When I read your responses I can hear the man himself speaking and giving the run around. It’s annoying.

We are an independent site, so we are just using our individual liberty to be charitable and help people understand the law. That is individual charity and liberty, now as a community we all enter a social contract as Americans to agree to a style of government and law (this limits our liberty). We vote and participate inside the structure of a Republic, and charity on that level is just our moral and ethical responsibility as a community. This, we argue, although certainly others don’t, extends to healthcare. Thus we (as Americans) pay for and expand healthcare through a system of taxation, regulation, and subsidization.

We (as a website) don’t support everything the ACA does or everything Obama says, in fact we personally push for single payer (me especially, google “single payer”). I could go into my non-standard modern liberal Democrat views, but that is a book and not a comment, so feel free to simply read them for yourself here: http://factmyth.com/author/tomd/.

As for the exact places our money goes, I don’t know aside “generally back into the big three healthcare, social security, and military. That said, like you all, I would really like to? I would love to have a detailed description of where all the money congress spends goes along with justification.

I don’t think that healthcare is ultimately going to be my or many other people’s source of our frustration in terms of spending though, maybe in regards to inefficiency, but personally I just can’t see being upset over paying for sick people to get well. And for me, that is the underlying social responsibility. We don’t need to do Obama’s healthcare, but we do need to do healthcare… and that will cost some amount of money.

Forcing a citizen to pay a fine for sosomething that person cannot afford isn’t socialism. That’s Imperialism (although I would like to use another term, but we aren’t there…. ?yet?… You know which word) Additionally, the cost of health insurance keeps rising making it difficult for the poor and low income families to purchase and/or acquire health care. On a secondary note, the current healthcare system is too complicated for most people to figure out precisely which programs they would be most likely to qualify under.

While I am a fan of “hope”, in general, a healthy dose of Obama’s worst fear “cynicism” can help us discover more practical solutions to the reality that the ACA is not working as Obama intended for many Americans, especially not for those of lower incomes, which it was intended to be designed to help in the first under.

Additionally less than 1/3 of Congress actually read the entire bill before passing it. That includes the democratic representatives. That’s a side note, but an important one. Congress is voting for things they know little or nothing about.

All good thoughts. Just to be clear to all, we are an unofficial site unrelated to healthcare.gov or the government.

One question for yous , what kind of health care do yous have and your cost?

Would Like To Know

I wonder how Cuba has universal health care.

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Welcome to the change because America is on the best path to follow into the footsteps of socialist Europe. Sad but true, the facts speak for themselves.

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this is not legal to have yo pay a penalty for not having inshurence.the mighty us has stooped very low

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Hate to bust your bubble but it has already happened . It’s called extorcition .

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This is ridiculous we are forced to purchase health insurance. My husband and I were just fined $500. That’s right, punish the working middle class. The “poor” (lazy) don’t pay the fine because they get free Healthcare all year. Just total dictatorship. .

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Then don’t drive on the highways, or public roads if you dont want to be told that you have to pay for something. We all pay for Public schools, public roads, salaries of public workers, teachers, social workers the list goes on and on and on . When you get sick, don’t go to the hospital or the local clinic for health care unless you have the cash to pay for every single service that is provided to you. because when you can’t pay the bill it goes to the consumers, like me in higher taxes, or higher insurance. Doctors don’t provide free care. If you want to live like a caveman go live in the woods somewhere in a cult on your own property where you don’t impact somebody else’s life. Tyranny seriously? Everybody needs Healthcare, and us who work and earn a good living should not all have to pay for it at some point everybody needs to go to the doctor so yes you do need insurance.

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Are you going to pay for it cause I can’t

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Obamacareisstealingourmoney

Yes!

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My husband an I were penalized for not having insurance $1100 of my hard earned money that money us not going to help me get insurance or help make insurance cheaper. The cost of insurance a month is to expensive for my family deductibles are to high,when your paying monthly an u need MRI or CAT scan u have to pay out of pocket insurance dont cover until u meet deductible makes no sense Obama care dies not work for the middle class an I don’t consider 75,000 a year middle class

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I paid 2088 $ penalty this year …. This is why I can not get ahead !!! I make 100k a year and have many expenses , my wife needed insurance and we got it but I could not afford it , Obama care went up the first year over 30% . Just because I made good money does not mean I can afford an extra 500$ month . This program is BS , take $ from others who can not afford it and give it to others that are even worse off ? Never again will I vote democratic , I feel ripped off.

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I am currently performing research on this topic, eventually for my dissertation. In graduate studies you must use credible references when citing sources. I had this exact same question in my research and as I began to hunt down the answer I found the same issue, nothing posted officially. So far, this is the only source I have found to have some kind of answer. I have contacted the IRS, who told me they just collect the fee and send the money to the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS). I contacted HSS and applied for a FOIA disclosure of this information, namely where do the funds go, to what program, how are these funds allocated, etc. The person informed me first that they did not have to tell me this information, then referred me to the Medicare/Medicaid office and logged my request with a control number. I am currently waiting for a response from the Medicare/Medicaid office. Now this is for research but this raises a very big question: I am a tax payer, why would I not be able to find out where my taxes go? For research I am only interested in some kind of annual report I can reference as a legitimate source but I cannot help but wonder how this money will be used. After 2014 the max limit doubled to 2% of a citizen’s taxable income and it will continue to rise every year. This is relatively a substantial amount of money so is there really only a few people interested in where their taxes go, or penalties for that matter? Interesting. If I find out anything new I will post it here.

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Great, thanks for doing the research. Please do post it.

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I would love to know this answer too. Please inform us of your findings.

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The government should do it’s own research and not try steal research others. There are plenty of government funded research programs already in place. Someone from President Obama’s cabinet could address this issue to one or more of those agencies. This gentleman should post his research in a scholarly political journal not on a government website, especially one that should already be providing that information, but isn’t!! I am hoping he is wise enough to do that.

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I wondered also where it goes. So I guess we continue to pay for all those that are on food stamps and Medicaid. That seems really unfair to me. I would rather it go to the vets then any other lazy people that just doesn’t want to work and keep laying up getting pregnant.

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The bulk of the tax money isn’t going to food stamps and Medicaid.

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Did you know the government borrows from the social security fund Americans pay into who have jobs? I sure hope that fine money is not going there. I have no problem helping the needy but for sure not the greedy.

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Some of those who are on food stamps have jobs at your local stores like Wal-mart and those fast food joints. Stop classifying food stamps for the majority of lazy walfare people. That’s way over due, research how many working families works at Corp jobs on food stamps.

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Point well made!

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Yes. The fact is nobody can be lazy. We have to report income and must have a 40 hour job or you are put in community service.

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That is about insensitive as it gets. I have a six-figure career, and although I don’t like paying more than my fair share than the next person, it is highly incorrect to assume that everyone on Medicaid is lazy and or lying around having babies. Until you walk in someone else’s shoes, I think it is very wrong for you to make such a blatant incorrect statement. First off the majority of the states stopped giving family’s extra money when they kept having babies. They get more food stamps, but they do not get more money that stopped quite some time ago, back in Clinton days. There are working class folks as well however that earn low wages that are still considered beneath the poverty line and they still qualify for food stamps. A therapist that works at my chiropractor’s office commented on how good my insurance was and she wanted to know how much I paid at work for it. I asked her what her insurance was, and she said she does not have any. I responded you work for a doctor’s office and you have no insurance? and she says no the doctor does not provide Insurance to any of his employees. So again, someone working 8 hours a day 5 days a week and their employer does not offer Insurance to them and you call them lazy. She also told me that she was receiving food stamps, I had no idea why she wanted to tell me all of her personal business but maybe she saw that I actually cared. I was thinking of ways or agencies that could possibly help her, Instead of cutting her down and calling her poor trailer trash for being on food stamps. Thete are different set of circumstances for different people. That is what’s wrong with this country. We always want to make nasty comments and assume somebody else is doing nothing to help make their life better and lay around waiting for a handout. When we have no idea what’s going on in their life. Yes there are some that just lay around, and never work, have children and are lazy but that is not the majority of the population, first of all, they stopped the cash flow for multiple children a long time ago, you can choose to keep having babies if you want to, but all you’re going to get is extra food stamps which doesn’t pay bills, or keep a roof over someone’s head. In addition, there are many states that have a lifetime cap on the amount of years you can get government assistance . There are lots of small businesses and lots of companies that do not have insurance that their employees can afford, they don’t earn enough and they are still considered below the poverty line and they can get food stamps that’s not lazy if you work 8 hours a day 40 hours a week but you only earn 100 to $200 a week. Good luck to you if you ever become unemployed and need temporary assistance until you get on your feet. Until you walk in someone else’s shoes you really should consider not slamming somebody else’s life because you have no idea what their situation is. I worked my way up through a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree on very little income getting food stamps here and there to help feed my kids and now I pay out the eyeballs in taxes because my income is good and I am perfectly fine with that but I don’t sit in and bash other people for doing what they have to do temporarily to get to a better life. You just never know somebody’s story until you walk in their shoes.
To those that are interested if your income is low enough you can qualify for the subsidy like a previous poster said, so check into it. Again if you’re in a state that opted out that state screwed you and everybody else. Which should then tell you how they feel about the poor and the working poor in your state. And it amazes me that people continue to vote against their own self-interest. Healthcare costs are extremely high for multiple reasons the Pharmaceuticals are ripping us off, the insurance companies are ripping us off, and uninsured folks who have no choice, go to the emergency room with no insurance and then the cost get s pushed back to other taxpayers by increasing their cost of health care and their insurance premiums. So everybody needs health insurance. This was just a small patch on a very huge problem which still has much more work to be done but at least it’s a start.

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I can’t afford insurance and I work full time I can’t afford another bill I struggle to pay my other bills I’d rather pay my heat and water bill first then a heath insurance bill and I have to go every day to the grocery store to make sure I have enough money to get food I used to get food stamps but they cut it down to $16.00 a month because my husband gets $103.00 dollars a month from his pension so I get mad when I see alot of people with there carts full of grocery and they pull out there bridge card so I am so sick of Obama care I don’t know how that helps me when it takes my money that I work so hard for and I’m still struggling so I’m so glad Obama is going and I hope the next president gets rid of Obama care I think it’s rediculous to penalize people that can’t afford another bill and take there money

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Obamacare is a big joke. I have to pay the penalty because I can not afford one of his stupid so called affordable plans. $700 per month with a $12,500.00 deductible are you kidding me. These plans are called catastrophic coverage. So going to the doctor for anything you will have to pay OOP because of the high deductible. Had to have MRI had to pay OOP. I have been in the insurance field for over 30 years and never has it been this bad. I also wonder where the penalty money goes. Doctors and insurance companies are getting sick of these plans as well. They are starting to pull out of his great plan. I just hope the next president can help out all of us. We need a plan that is truly affordable. Why can’t all uninsured people have a group plan? All the insurance company would have to do is put us all as a group plan it would be so cheap but you see that is not what our govt wants they want control. Penalty is going to pay for immigrants that shouldn’t even be in this country but yet I was born and raised as a United States citizen and I get screwed work hard everyday to just throw away my hard earned money on doctor bills. Makes me sick. the butt hole thinks his insurance is so good then why doesn’t he make congress, senate, and him carry it. Never happen we the people will take care of them.

Thanks for sharing this and a reminder about the people in need. It’s rather hard hearted to blame poor people for needing help.

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I grew up in a trailer park and now I’m a 1%er. I grew up with a lot of people on food stamps and welfare. Do you have first hand experience being poor? My single mother worked 2 jobs to make ends meet, she didn’t take govt. handouts. She was an exception in the trailer park. Almost all of my friends parents took all of the free stuff and didn’t work. As a result, almost all of the kids that had that example didn’t make it out of the trailer park. Me and my 3 siblings are all out and very successful. I’m paying more in taxes than 99% of the population. I credit this to our awesome mother who did what it took to provide for her children. govt. Dependency is horrible for these people….I have seen it first hand. Most of my super liberal friends that talk just like you, came from dual parent homes, middle to upper income families, yet they know more than me about this matter. I’m sure you feel the same way. Just let me know how my friends have been “helped” because it sure looks as if they have been hurt to me.

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It is the old “alms” argument. It isn’t fully wrong, people need incentive to lift themselves up.

But friend, your mother worked two jobs to give to provide for you. That is pure socialism. You, as a child, could not and did not have an income. You were a taker for the first XX years. Some liberals don’t get it, others just want to make sure every family has the same opportunities your mother gave you. Get the nuance?

We don’t have to give handouts, but should be providing opportunities. The ACA may not be perfect, but it is hard to argue that people have much opportunity without some basic access to healthcare. Where Democrats may go too far, Republicans don’t go far enough… and we only have two options really.

I personally support a trimmed down single payer public option hybrid, and although no one asked me, I make sure to express my personal desire for a smart centered national health reform plan despite party affiliations. Think it is a good way to go about things. Stand against something, sure, it is often needed… but also stand for something.

Those who didn’t make it out of the trailer park might not need freebies, but they do still need help. If a kid has a sick mother, two jobs isn’t an option.

Thank you for saying this. I agree with everything you said.

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Working and caring for your children isn’t socialism…having to take care of other families would be…and is ludicrous.
Redistribution of wealth is a non viable, unless it’s charity freely given. Forcing charity is wrong and doesn’t work, especially if undocumented illegals are on dole.

One day, in the distant future, I imagine a world where one can state libertarian principles without using the term “illegals” in the same breath.

People have mashed up social conservatism and libertarianism so hard it is like an ongoing joke for me.

Classically liberal doesn’t mean hating illegals, it means not wanting big government. The Republican big tent is way too big, I wouldn’t fit in it with my moral principles, so I vote Democrat even at though I generally identify as a libertarian (as they have all been honey-potted over the the social conservative right).

Why not a system with an opt-in or opt-out? Why demand that the safety net is replied? It is like Goldwater trying to explain away Civil Rights by saying States’ Rights, it’s so unnecessarily alienating.

AS far as having babies and lying around being lazy I only know PERSONALLY 1 person that is like that. And she’s a pastor’s daughter with 8 kids and her dad is a staunch conservative! Meanwhile every other person I know that was and probably still is on welfare or food stamps is working and trying very hard and much harder in fact than we who have degrees to make a living and provide for their families. This trash talking about welfare queens has been a dead dog for years now.

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Agreed whole heartedly, I work full time but can’t afford health insurance, give it to the lazy ppl, but tax the ones trying, $330 dollars, enjoy health and welfare! !!

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My husband pays his taxes and works hard. We still qualify for medical and SNAP. Were NOT lazy. We livr in hawaii and unless you make 80,000 to 100,000 your poor in hawaii and can’t afford anything. Considering my husband only makes around 30,000 we NEED it. I stay homr with my kids and homeschool.
Im a private teacher, cook, maid, and babysitter. Put that together how much would that cost to HIRE one,?, id be rich doing all THAT for some millionaire. But NO im called lazy and getting pregnant because I CHOSE to b all those for my own family instead of a millionaire.

The fact is. If woman didnt ask for job rights. The income for our spouses would be way hire. Instead now to live above poverty both have to work instead of husband only while wife does the work and raise children at home. Blame the feminist. The government is corrupt too blame THEM. were ALL slaves. Look up birth certificate slaves.
Land of the free? More like land of the slaves under rich people. Its NO different then Rome. Like Jesus said were slaves under ceaser for paging taxes.

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awesome!
Post it in the media, have it go viral on fb spread the word on what you find because I assure you there’s interest in your results!!!

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You are not the only one; I asked myself this question while I was doing my taxes. I for one do not want to be lining the pockets of the already wealthy healthcare people; whoever runs up these costs of hospital care. Of topic but I’d also like to know why the cost of a Dr. visit, treatment, or tests are double what they actually cost? Also why my premium went from $120 to $220 every month for a single, low-income person? Some things need to be cleaned up in this government and brought to light.

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Would like to know

Hey Mike did you find anything new? You’re not the only person who wants to know where my money is going to. I’ve Google and asked people who did and did not vote for Obama where does this penalized money go too? No one knows…
But this website is the only one that gave an answer. But your researched sounds about right to me than this website. I am NOT suprised they do not need to give you an answer.
But please notify us of you new findings.

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For the record, i’m with you guys on this. Our answer was a little generic (didn’t realize it would become a whole thread), I am all for someone answering (in a non-overly-political way): “where specifically does it go” and “what account is it sitting in and what are the mechanics of the distribution of the funds?” I suggest this resource: https://www.cbo.gov/taxonomy/term/45/featured.

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Hi Mike, I am seeing the same thing. I am looking for actual documentation of where our $ goes as a tax payer myself. I am finding ZERO answers. The above answer from ObamaCareFacts.com is completely generic and insults my intelligence. The federal govenrment is playing a shell game with MY TAX DOLLARS! Please keep us informed as to your findings. Good luck getting a response from Medicare/Medicaid!

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I am very interested in knowing where this money goes! That is why I am on this site!

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Hi,
I have been struggling with a similar scenario…
I make around 35K, but have a 1400/mo mortgage responsibility, which leaves around 600/mo for everything else. I suspect that I could afford the most basic of plans, but I choose to remain uninsured, as any serious injury or illness will still break me, maybe cost my home, even with insurance. My last insurance stopped paying for my badly damaged wrist once they hit 3000… when I did the math, I was paying 3400 annually in premiums… I’m an idiot perhaps, because I selected that plan myself, being insurance illiterate, I simply chose the most expensive plan my company offered… I figured that should do it. Then I needed surgery, and after 3K, they’re out!! How is that insurance? 3K was spent before I even got the surgery!

At any rate, for whatever reason, I remain uninsured.
With that said, I have willingly paid the penalty out of my refunds two or three times now, and it occurs to me that the penalty probably could cover a basic plan; DUH; right? Shouldn’t bobama be tossing us penalty payers into our own base plan?
I guess I’m asking because I sort of presumed that my penalty would pay for some sort of “default” .gov plan. One that I wouldn’t have to “manage” myself. I do good to keep myself in clean shorts… it’s a long story.

If, in fact, my penalty just goes into the pool that’s drained by the multitudes of frauds sucking the .gov teat, then I’ll feel no guilt when, and if, I require healthcare, and just completely ignore any billing or collection attempts.
I don’t care about my credit; I buy things I can pay for on the spot, except my home of course; my mortgage is in good standing after 9 years…

It really seems lame, immoral, even illegal to force me to buy insurance, or pay a penalty that could, yet doesn’t, secure insurance FOR me. I don’t participate in any .gov gimmies. I have carried myself on my own dime my entire life, have had almost no need at all for insurance, and when I did need it, it failed me miserably.

Fix our healthcare system now! We MUST make jobs in healthcare, and public service, less lucrative. It’s the ONLY way we will get people who actually CARE about the work they do for us. Every doctor I’ve ever met seemed in it for the cash… If you allow a man to earn a comfortable living as a healthcare professional, you’ll attract folks who just love to heal. If you throw an extravagant living into the equation, you’ll attract the greedy, and they’ll eat the others for lunch.

I can think of some ways to attack this problem, but they’d likely just get me shot…

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I would really like to know as well.

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Thank you so much for your research. I am a tax professional and I am so frustrated with this unfair penalty on so many people. Do you have any updated information to share? This is such a deep and divisive issue. I also cannot understand why it is a tax issue. If we had socialized medicine I could understand it. Thank you again.

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Timothy Phinney

I believe if you look at the new structure in Chicago that obama just built for 155 million explains ware the penalty money went to.

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I am a graduate student as well doing research on health care policy and management. I am truly interested where the paper trail has lead you. Please contact me to set up an exchange of information or a link to your dissertation.
Kind Wishes!

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Regarding the student doing research. How is it possible he was told he didn’t have the right to know where tax money goes?? Disgusting state of affairs. I sure could have used the thousand I paid I last year. Follow the money trail please and publish!!

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I make minimum wage at a part time job ( 25 hrs a week), I have no vehicle, so I stay close, ad I ride a bicycle to work. My company does not offer health insurance. I have been quoted $500. to $700 a month I barely make $ 700 a month. How am I supposed to live? I do not qualify for anything. I am now being told I will have to pay over $600. At tax time. I am very frustrated. I am worried that with this route. I will owe the IRS. OR be homeless.

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If your income is between 100% – 400% of the poverty level you can get Marketplace subsidies through HealthCare.Gov. If your income is below 100% and your state didn’t expand Medicaid you may be facing “the Medicaid gap”.

If your income is only $700 then it’s likely the Medicaid gap (but you should apply for Medicaid to get a rejection letter to check and qualify for exemptions.)

At that income you are below the filing limit and don’t owe the fee.

So you may qualify for free or low cost coverage and don’t owe the fee. If you don’t qualify for coverage it’s because your state rejected Medicaid for you and all other low-income adults in your state.

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You shouldn’t have to pay anything if you make that little. There is a minimum income requirement for you having to pay the fine.

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You are correct on not having fine if insurance policy offered is more than 8% of your annual income. However, in states where it is subsidized by federal programs the insurance providers have devised worthless insurance packages that land just below the 8% threshold. High deductibles and high out of pocket expenses make these useless to the consumer.

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Yeah, i’ll confirm. High deductible health plans are a big sticking point. Not sure i’ve seen the magic wand in any policy of the left or right yet… but they will keep being an issue until they aren’t.

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Get another part time job

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if the citizens are paying a penalty for not having health care coverage
why can’t the penalty monies be used for a policy for that citizen

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If you make below the Federal poverty level you are exempt from the shared responsibility payment. For 1 person 12,060. Add 4,180 for each additional person.

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President Trump is working on ridding people of this oppression. There has always been cheaper plans, but obamacare forced higher priced on all or get fined if you had a plan that may be same but cheaper. His goal was simply implementation of socialism. It doesn’t work, never will.
The Democrats are trying to ram rod garbage down our throats.
Obama, raised by communists parents, grandparents, and mentored by his grandfather’s friend, who headed the Chicago black communist party had an agenda.

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Don Trump sorta gave up on the whole health care thing because people didn’t bend to his every whim. But I TOTALLY believe he will fix things. Repeal and Replace….good luck with that. We can both just pay the government money next year too!
#notaxreturnforme

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