“One person who identified as a conservative Republican pointed out that choosing to not do something means you choose to do something else”
So how does government know to asses the tax on your non-acting action? They tax income when it comes in to you. They tax imports when they are imported. How do they know when you acted in deciding not to buy insurance? It’s impossible, unless they constantly track and can read your thoughts.
Looks like we’ll need more funding for the Thought Police.
Regarding the tax implications of renting. If you don’t buy a home you do not get to deduct the mortgage interest you pay. Regarding health insurance, that is the point. The government doesn’t know and we pay for the medical care of those who don’t have insurance when they free-load our emergency rooms.