Barthold Letter on Insurance Mandate

 Buy Health Insurance or Else

On Thursday, Senator John Ensign (R-KS), questioned Thomas Barthold, Chief of Staff of Joint Committee on Taxation, about the proposed health care mandate penalty. Ensign stated, "We could be subjecting those very people who conscientiously, because they believe in the U.S. Constitution, we could be subjecting them to fines or the interpretation of a judge, all the way up to imprisonment. That seems to me to be a problem." Barthold told Ensign that the failure to report and pay the imposed fine for not having insurance, would allow the IRS to then "take you to court and undertake normal collection proceedings." Hard to believe? Confirming the penalties to be imposed for "willful failure to file, pay, maintain appropriate records and the like," Mr. Barthold sent Sen. Ensign a handwritten letter (Politico copy).

Democrats Insist on Public Mandate

Regarding the public mandate, it should be noted that Republican Senator Jim Bunning offered an amdendment on Wednesday that would have allowed individuals to opt out of coverage. Bunning said, "The individual mandate in this bill is un-American. It may even be unconstitutional."  On Tuesday, in an earlier address to the Senate Finance Committee, Bunning argued, "I do not support the provisions in the bill that require every American to buy health insurance or pay a tax.  These provisions trample on the freedom of Americans, and I cannot support this.  It seems to me that there are better ways to increase the number of Americans with insurance without resorting to these extreme measures." Apparently, Senator Bunning’s plea, just like that of the American people, was ignored. The Democrats voted the amendment down.