United Liberty

During a recent interview with ABC News, President Barack Obama said that he believed individuals that didn’t buy health insurance should face some form of monetary penalty, comparing it to state requirements for car insurance (these types of mandates don’t guarantee coverage), and brushed aside talk of possible jail time for non-complaince:

“What I think is appropriate is that in the same way that everybody has to get auto insurance and if you don’t, you’re subject to some penalty, that in this situation, if you have the ability to buy insurance, it’s affordable and you choose not to do so, forcing you and me and everybody else to subsidize you, you know, there’s a thousand dollar hidden tax that families all across America are — are burdened by because of the fact that people don’t have health insurance, you know, there’s nothing wrong with a penalty.”

Under the House bill those who can afford to buy insurance and don’t’ pay a fine. If the refuse to pay that fine there’s a threat – as with a lot of tax fines – of jail time. The Senate removed that provision in the Senate Finance Committee.

Mr. Obama said penalties have to be high enough for people to not game the system, but it’s also important to not be “so punitive” that people who are having a hard time find themselves suddenly worse off, thus why hardship exemptions have been built in the legislation.
[…]
The President said that he didn’t think the question over the appropriateness of possible jail time is the “biggest question” the House and Senate are facing right now.

It’s unfortunate that the president brushes aside the possibility of jail time if you fail to buy insurance (the jail time would come from not paying the fines). The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) has verified that jail is a very real possibility if you take a look at Section 7203:

[M]isdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

Section 7201 is even worse:

[F]elony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.

President Obama endorsed the House version of the bill, which is ostensibly endorsing jail time for those that refuse the mandates under ObamaCare.

People tend to get concerned when you threaten their liberty because they refuse to comply with a government mandate, especially when it means they may lose their current coverage. Notice the wording from the JCT. In order to avoid the fines and jail time you must maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage.” In other words, you must have a policy that the government approves or eventually change your plan. Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying to you.

Welcome to ObamaCare.