Honest Question, most people who lack health insurance are poor. Most poor people don’t have an income. People who lack an income don’t have to file taxes....
Therefore how is the individual mandate even enforced if you aren’t required and don’t file taxes?
You vill present your papers vhen the authorities demand them. Verstanden? Achtung!
Poor people file taxes. Are you kidding?
It’s the only way to claim their ‘tax refund’...the ‘free-money’ EIC (earned income tax credit).
(you have no idea how hard it was for me to type that without colorful metaphors)
As far as the ‘mandate’, I’m sure there’s more laws coming out of the Oval Office (hack) to make more exceptions...
logi_cal869 is correct that many poor do file for EITC.
But you must realize that “poor” is effectively defined up to approx. $32,300 for a family of four for Expanded Medicaid eligibility; $15,700 for an individual; $23,500 for a family of four under traditional Medicaid eligibility criteria (all these figures vary slightly by state).
Quite a number of the poor will find their income in the gap between traditional Medicaid eligibility and the lowest subsidized bronze level exchange policy in states that did not expand Medicaid. Some of these will get stuck with a penalty and no coverage. Many others will not get a penalty because no affordable policy exists relative to their income.