Jailing the uninsured

Could Americans who refuse to buy health insurance actually be imprisoned?

Jailing the uninsured
(Image credit: Adam Tanner/Reuters/Corbis)

The House health reform bill would require all Americans who can afford insurance to buy it, raising a thorny question: What happens to those who opt out, then suddenly get sick, and stick the rest of Americans with their medical bills? President Obama supports a “penalty…high enough that people don't game the system." How high exactly? Republicans point out that the House bill specifies “a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” Could Americans really go to jail for forgoing health insurance?

The Dems have gone too far this time: "This is the ultimate example of the Democrats' command-and-control style of governing — buy what we tell you or go to jail," says Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), as quoted by Nolan Finley in The Detroit News. Obama's health care reform is looking more and more like the product of "a totalitarian regime."

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