This is in response to the letters submitted by Robert Hickman and Angie Haywood seemingly unable to understand why most people don't want "free" health care.
The bill just passed by the House include these things. Penalties include:
Misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
Felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.
The Joint committee on taxation noted that "according to a recent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, the lowest-cost family non-group plan under HR3962 (the Pelosi bill) would cost $15,000 by 2016." Obama's bill only provides subsidies to help pay this enormous sum after families making about $45,000 have paid 8 percent of their income for insurance and after those earning a household income of about $65,000 have kicked in 12 percent of their income.
Let's see, from my figures, if my husband and I grossed $65,000 a year, we would be required to pay $7,800 of that just for "your" free health care before we would get any subsidies from the government (not including what we already paid in income taxes, of course), which is no doubt going to soar. Now if one of you would care to enlighten me as to how this is free, I would be very appreciative! Yes, maybe free for some! Those who are illegal immigants. But I don't care to end up with about 10 percent of our $65,000 to live on while all my government-run health care and taxes support all the illegals along with all those too lazy but able to work.
As some doctors have stated: They regularly see young people in their offices with numerous tattoos, the latest in cell phones, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and drinking beer watching their satellite televisions in their homes yet "can't afford" health insurance and are on Medicaid.
We are self employed and have never had the luxury of "company paid insurance benefits." We are in the baby boomer generation, so our insurance does not come cheap. But just in the past month I was very glad we had it and it was there when we needed it and we were not standing in line signing up to get on a list to get checked out then stand in line for the tests and treatment like what is inevitably coming our way should this pass.
Congress seems, for some reason, to ignore so many of the things that would truly bring down health care costs (tort reform and subsidized abortions among them) but seem totally deaf to the demands of those of us that don't want it. But I see no reason why we should have to pay for your health insurace, regardless of anyone else's situations. Don't get me wrong, I am not unsympathetic to people like your sister, but I still feel it is not our responsibility to pay for everyone else.
