So to my surprise, I was penalized on my Tax Return...

[Patrick Chewing]

For not having health insurance for a part of last year. Who'd a thunk??


So I gave money back to the government. I don't recall having to ever do this prior to 2014. I wonder who's abortion or sex change I'm paying for with that money that was taken from me?

Obama d*ck riders, please explain how this is acceptable in your world? I want to learn. I want to know why.

[DukeDelonte13]

OP, explain why are people forced to get car insurance.


Jackasses who don't have health insurance and get hurt wind up with thousands of dollars in medical bills they can't pay. The hospital has to eat that cost which in turn factors into rate increases for everybody else.

Not only that, but figure that medical bills are the number 1 cause of bankruptcy in the country. When people go bankrupt, their debts get wiped.


You can't afford 90 bucks a month? you'd probably qualify for medicaid.

[Patrick Chewing]

OP, explain why are people forced to get car insurance.


Jackasses who don't have health insurance and get hurt wind up with thousands of dollars in medical bills they can't pay. The hospital has to eat that cost which in turn factors into rate increases for everybody else.

Not only that, but figure that medical bills are the number 1 cause of bankruptcy in the country. When people go bankrupt, their debts get wiped.


You can't afford 90 bucks a month? you'd probably qualify for medicaid.

But I didn't get hurt last year or visited any clinic or hospital. Why am I still paying a penalty? Explain that.


And whether or not I could afford insurance is a moot point. I have insurance now, but for the few months that I didn't, I'm penalized because somebody else is incurring costly medical bills?

[KevinNYC]

So to my surprise,......For not having health insurance for a part of last year. Who'd a thunk??

So for all your focus on politics, you really don't know what's being discussed, do you?

You can look up "individual mandate" and the "free rider problem" to see the discussion.

The "free rider problem" is what Duke describes above.

Imagine if nobody had car insurance for 11 months during the year and only bought it for December, after they were in an accident. That's what would happen with health care. People would wait until they got sick or had an accident before buying.

[KevinNYC]

But I didn't get hurt last year or visited any clinic or hospital. Why am I still paying a penalty? Explain that.

And whether or not I could afford insurance is a moot point. I have insurance now, but for the few months that I didn't, I'm penalized because somebody else is incurring costly medical bills?

Because had you gotten hurt or fallen ill, you most likely would not have been able to pay your bills. Not paying into the system raises MY INSURANCE rates. The costs you are thinking about are going in the opposite direction.

Like I tell people during this debate. About 4 years ago, I went bed feeling fine and healthy and by 6 am I had $25,000 in hospital bills.

[nathanjizzle]

dont fool yourself, your 2500 dollars in taxes doesnt even pay your own way.

[DukeDelonte13]

But I didn't get hurt last year or visited any clinic or hospital. Why am I still paying a penalty? Explain that.


And whether or not I could afford insurance is a moot point. I have insurance now, but for the few months that I didn't, I'm penalized because somebody else is incurring costly medical bills?

I've never been in a car accident in my life. Yet i've paid thousands and thousands to my car insurance company.

Why? I have a clean record? Is it a little unfair? Yes. I hate it. But if some dipwad 16 year old girl rams into my car and totals it and I break my arm, i'm going to be damn glad that she's required to have insurance.

EDIT: i don't want some dipwad racking up a quarter million dollars in medical bills and dumping that cost on the hospital I go to.

[Patrick Chewing]

So for all your focus on politics, you really don't know what's being discussed, do you?

You can look up "individual mandate" and the "free rider problem" to see the discussion.

The "free rider problem" is what Duke describes above.

Imagine if nobody had car insurance for 11 months during the year and only bought it for December, after they were in an accident. That's what would happen with health care. People would wait until they got sick or had an accident before buying.

But again, you're penalizing an already tax-paying citizen more for the faults of another. I'm not saying that what you two are saying is not correct and understandable, but there has to be a better way to collect for these costs, don't ya think?

The government is stepping in and saying that John Doe from Little Rock, Arkansas who I will never meet, spent 8 months in a hospital from a snake bite or ATV accident, and poor ol' Pat Chewing from Yonkers and millions of others have to foot his bill?

And we want to justify it by saying it's the same as car insurance? I was always taught that driving was a privilege, not a right. We all have a right to live don't we?

In my opinion, the government should take their hands out of my pocket and go after employers. I can't fathom how some of you are comfortable with this.

[DukeDelonte13]

But again, you're penalizing an already tax-paying citizen more for the faults of another. I'm not saying that what you two are saying is not correct and understandable, but there has to be a better way to collect for these costs, don't ya think?

The government is stepping in and saying that John Doe from Little Rock, Arkansas who I will never meet, spent 8 months in a hospital from a snake bite or ATV accident, and poor ol' Pat Chewing from Yonkers and millions of others have to foot his bill?

And we want to justify it by saying it's the same as car insurance? I was always taught that driving was a privilege, not a right. We all have a right to live don't we?

In my opinion, the government should take their hands out of my pocket and go after employers. I can't fathom how some of you are comfortable with this.

You have stopped making sense. You are required to pay INSURANCE COMPANIES, not the government.
Medicaid and medicare i.e. tax payer funded healthcare programs have been going on way before Obama took office.

Obamacare is not really a government healthcare program, it's health insurance reform.

the ACA helps employers pay for health care benefits by giving new tax breaks to companies that pay health care costs. The ACA gives bigger breaks to smaller companies as well.

[Patrick Chewing]

You have stopped making sense. You are required to pay INSURANCE COMPANIES, not the government.
Medicaid and medicare i.e. tax payer funded healthcare programs have been going on way before Obama took office.

Obamacare is not really a government healthcare program, it's health insurance reform.

I'm referring to my tax refund from the government. After telling them I had no insurance for 4 months, my refund went down. So who's keeping that money? Government? Or insurance companies?

[Dresta]

Nothing about the US tax code is acceptable tbh. Its the most idiotically and pointlessly complicated thing in existence. Just means there will always be plenty of loopholes to avoid paying tax, and lots of the less wealthy being penalised for things they didn't know about. It is the typical way of funding the government purse these days: make the law so arbitrary and difficult to follow that they can fine people 24/7. Bloomberg was the master of this kind of totalitarian-minded bullshit, and at getting sheep like KevinNYC to buy into it.

[unbreakable]

LOL at the US not having free healthcare/education like other civilized countries just LMAO

keep buying weapons instead of books and roads IDIOTS LOLOL

[Patrick Chewing]

LOL at the US not having free healthcare/education like other civilized countries just LMAO

keep buying weapons instead of books and roads IDIOTS LOLOL

And who would pay for this free health care/education? Oh that's right...me!


I don't know of any other civilized countries where Socialism (what you're asking for) works.

[GimmeThat]

if I was rich, I honestly wouldn't care about the up and down swings of the casual Americans and their struggle with those in the leadership position that of the states.


and even if I was poor. I would choose to leave out all of that.

[Droid101]

Waaah, society requires people to put money toward the common good. Wahhhh!

I didn't have the penalty, because I have medical insurance. You know, personal responsibility? I thought you were all for that.