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Title: Despite Ruling, White House Chief of Staff Refuses to Call Mandate a Tax (George Stephanopoulos)
Source:
ABC News
URL Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politic ... refuses-to-call-mandate-a-tax/
Published: Jul 1, 2012
Author: George Stephanopoulos
Post Date: 2012-07-01 18:15:44 by Hondo68
Keywords: SCOTUS considered a tax, refused to acknowledge, whatever you call it
Views: 7224
Comments: 20
White House chief of staff Jack Lew refused to call the individual mandate for health care a tax, continually referring to it as a “penalty” or “charge,” despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that it should be considered a tax. “The Supreme Court looked at what the structure of the law was and they saw that one percent of the people would be paying this charge if they chose not to avail themselves of health insurance,” Lew told me this morning on “This Week.” “For that one percent who have chosen not to buy health insurance, and just to pass the burden on to others, there’s this penalty.” On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the cornerstone of President Obama’s health care legislation, the individual mandate, was indeed constitutional on the grounds that it acts as a tax. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the Supreme Court’s four liberal members in the majority opinion, writing that “The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably characterized as a tax. Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.” But in my interview this morning on “This Week,” Lew refused to acknowledge that it was a tax, saying, “The law set it up as a penalty for the people who make that choice. The court found it constitutional. Frankly what you call it is not the issue.” I pressed Lew on the penalty vs. tax issue, which was the center of Roberts’ decision. Here’s part of our exchange: LEW: For that one percent who have chosen not to buy health insurance, and just to pass the burden on to others, there’s this penalty. STEPHANOPOULOS: But you do concede - and you keep wanting to use the word penalty - you do concede that the law survived only because Justice Roberts found this to be a tax? LEW: You know, I think, if you look at the decision, which is a very complicated one, there are arguments that support different theories. There was… (crosstalk) STEPHANOPOULOS: But the argument of Chief Justice Roberts is that it’s a tax. LEW: He – He went through the different powers that Congress has and found that there is a power, whatever you call it, to assess a penalty like this. STEPAHNOPOULOS: He called it a tax. LEW: (smiling, no response) STEPHANOPOLOUS: So you’re conceding that? LEW: I’m saying that it was set up as a penalty for people who choose not to buy insurance, even though they can afford it, and for that one percent, we call it fair. STEPHANOPOULOS: And he calls it a tax. I’m going to move on now at this point. Lew’s argument is in line with what President Obama told me in a Sept. 2009 interview on “This Week,” when he insisted that “to say that ‘you’ve got to take a responsibility to get health insurance’ is absolutely not a tax increase.” Watch that exchange here: Poster Comment: TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX !!!
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#3. To: hondo68 (#0)
Too bad.. SCOTUS says TAX or nothing. Which means the USSA is now on the hook for: Enforcement.... Immediate Validation Proof for the individual.... see Poll tax for details....;} And delivering product at an affordable price...;} In other words the USSA just bought the US Medical/Health Care Complex....;}
By James Howard Kunstler on July 2, 2012 8:32 AM Not to put too fine a point on it, but didn't that cunning rogue Chief Justice John Roberts pour a jug of Karo syrup into the gas tank of America's twelve trillion cylinder engine? Or, put another way (forgive the metaphor juke), didn't he just give President Obama enough rope to hang himself? Out to dry, that is. Roberts must know exactly what he is doing: prompting x-million young and/or poor voters to an election year tea party tax revolt. The Obama health care reform will henceforth be defined as a tax against people too economically strapped to buy health insurance - in other words, a gross injustice, courtesy of Obama.
Kunstler Read his blog as I post it....;} Of course, with or without the so-called reform, the American health care system remains a hostage racket. When you are sick, you will do anything to get better, and the system knows it. You will sign onto any agreement to keep yourself alive, even if the health care system ends up taking your house and your children's educations. It is a well-established fact that the chief cause of personal bankruptcy in the USA is unpayable medical bills on the part of people who have health insurance. It is considered bad manners to inquire of a surgeon what his fee might be for a life-saving operation. Anyway, you don't want to know because it will be a figure with no anchor in the reality of hours spent or services rendered.
#6. To: mcgowanjm (#5)
I know a woman who went to the emergency room and hospital about two months ago for two and a half days. I believe her bill was $48,000. Her hubby has insurance and she expects to have to pay several thousand. They never figured out what was wrong with her. Psychosomatic is my guess. She makes about $1,200 a month.
A friend fell recently and shattered her kneecap. JUST the hospital bill, for a couple days and nights, not including the surgeon, was over $35k. I can't wait to see the surgeon's bill.
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Replies to Comment # 5.
#7. To: mcgowanjm (#5)
Anyway, you don't want to know because it will be a figure with no anchor in the reality of hours spent or services rendered.
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