Healthcare Plan

So there’s one question about this whole healthcare reform proposal, The Affordable Health Care for America Act [H.R. 3962], that I have. How does the federal government force someone to buy something that they may or may not want? Even something as important as quality healthcare? Under the current bill recently passed by the U.S. House by a majority of only 5 votes, all people would be required to buy into either a private insurance plan or the public option. If you don’t, you’re taxed 2.5% of your gross income. I agree we need quality healthcare reform, I’m not arguing that point. It must be done, somehow, someway. But the fed is going to force you to buy something, and if you choose not to, they will tax you. “Shared responsibility” is what they are calling it. I suspect this issue, beyond all the other aspects of this bill, is going to be a constitutional point that will be forced to come before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Many services we take part in are taxed. The most stated example is driving and the road tax. But driving is a privilege given to us and we choose to drive. I choose to buy a bag of potatoes to eat with my steak tonight (also taxed and eating is a necessity). I guess I could start growing potatoes and raising cows in my back yard, yet it’s much easier to go to the store and pay the fed/state/county/city a little on top. My fear is that the Supreme Court will expand federal powers through the Commerce clause of the Constitution to validate this aspect of the current healthcare plan. But by doing this, the fed is very subtlety saying that we have a new civil right, healthcare. And we are taxing you now to provide this for everyone.