I fear you are under the impression that liberals back the mandate and conservatives have opposed it, which is not true. Initially the Republicans supported the mandates. Some of them have only recently come out against it, using any issue they could to oppose health care reform. Many liberals have been opposing the mandate. (Incidentally, both Rachel Maddow and Glenn Beck have opinion shows. While Maddow’s statements are far more factual than Beck’s, I would not use either as a true news source.)

“Nobody in this whole post discusses the mandate and the fines.”

I have written multiple posts on the mandates and the fines. All aspects of health care reform cannot be repeated in a single post.

Here’s a few key things which will hopefully reduce your panic–but unfortunately this is very had to discuss specifically until we have a final bill:

There would also be subsidies to help middle class people pay for the insurance to don’t look at this in terms of having to pay current market prices for health insurance. Without knowing your age and size of family I can’t give the specifics (and it differs in the House and Senate bills) but at $45,000 the subsidies would probably work out to be well over half the cost. On the other hand, consider how financially devastating it would be if someone in your family developed a serious illness and you have no insurance. The subsidies in the plan might make the difference and allow you to be able to purchase coverage.

There has also been talk of an opt-out clause which would also enable people who still could not find affordable insurance to opt out without paying a fine. However, until we see the final bill I cannot say for certain if this would help you.

Another thing to watch as they work towards the final bill is what the fines would be, and how high they would be for different income ranges. Initially the Senate bill had a very weak fine which would go up to a maximum of around $700 per year. Unfortunately some of the last minute amendments increased this, but it primarily hit upper income people harder. At $45,000 per year hopefully your maximum fine would remain well under $700 (and ideally they’ll drop the entire idea of mandates in the final bill but I’m not optimistic that will happen). The House bill also had larger fines, so it is not possible to say what the fines would be until we have the final bill.

Your description of the bill is not accurate. Plus you need to keep in mind that the plan is to make changes (such as restore the public option) during reconciliation with the House bill. It was necessary to pass something in the Senate to move on to this step.

The mandate has been greatly weakened. It will not affect lower income people at all. For others it gradually rises to $750 per year. Considering that the uninsured do cost the taxpayers money, a modest tax on those who can afford to buy insurance but do not do so is reasonable.

The insurance companies will not be policing themselves. The bill places tough new regulations on the insurance industry. One of the reasons we are in this mess is inadequate regulation.

I did not go to Harvard or Yale. I do not make mega millions, I am just an average citizen of the USA. I voted for President Obama. However, I see this bill as a tax on average folks. The President said, he would not support a mandate to force people to buy Health Insurance, yet this bill does that.

The Insurance Companies are going to Police themselves. Many Hospital are called non-profit, yet many charge obscene prices for health care.

It is so very simply, No Public Option, No Reform. I do not blame President Obama. He just cannot stop the train of politicians that will sell their soul for special interests. The Republicans, the Blue Dogs (Fake Democrats) etc…. Washington wants to keep business as usual. How can the government force people  to buy insurance, with no caps, not price controls.

The point is not to get people to buy the insurance. The point is to tax everyone in this country so the Insurance Companies, the Pharmaceutical Companies, continue to get their Fat Checks.

How sad, Change, just another buzz word.

Laura B.
Cape Cod, MA