There are a lot of things I like about the health care law (coverage for those with preexisting conditions and allowing kids to stay on their parents' health care until they're 26, for example), but I'm not so sure about the individual mandate. I'm not opposed to it in principle, but there are many people who can't afford to buy health care but aren't considered poor enough for Medicaid. Even the fines are a lot of money to someone who doesn't have very much. In theory it's a good idea, but it doesn't seem particularly well thought-out. The bottom line is that health care is still just too expensive, and I don't see how this law is going to change that. less

Me, my family, my hubby's family, and my hubby, for example?

We'd rather live in a country that still has the universal health care minus the fines we will NEVER be able to afford vs jail time for not affording the fines.

Personally, I just don't see how I can come up with $186 per year without prostituting myself or selling drugs, as I can barely afford toothpaste and have been asking friends for laundry soap for the last 5 months.

I see NOTHING good coming of this for anyone but the high class and those with money. less

If you can't afford toothpaste, you should be in an income class where you could easily get Medicaid. That's what it's for.

The fine would be $3.57 a week for a family of two, half that for a person alone, if you don't buy health care. If you don't have that, you should qualify for Medicaid. There ARE other ways to make under four bucks a week other than "selling drugs or prostituting yourself." Really. Hyperbole anyone? You can probably find that much in the cushions of your couch.

I don't see the problem. And, there's no freaking "jail time." STOP listening to Rush Limbaugh, FOX News and their ilk and get your news from reputable sources so you don't think things that are totally UNTRUE and exaggerated.

Really, it's ridiculous. If you don't have an extra $3.57 a week, you should easily qualify for Medicaid. less

There are a lot of things I like about the health care law (coverage for those with preexisting conditions and allowing kids to stay on their parents' health care until they're 26, for example), but I'm not so sure about the individual mandate. I'm not opposed to it in principle, but there are many people who can't afford to buy health care but aren't considered poor enough for Medicaid. Even the fines are a lot of money to someone who doesn't have very much. In theory it's a good idea, but it doesn't seem particularly well thought-out. The bottom line is that health care is still just too expensive, and I don't see how this law is going to change that. less

Here are some facts about the individual mandate.

I'm pretty happy about it. I think it's a good step towards fixing the broken US healthcare system. I feel that healthcare reform should have gone further and implemented nationalized healthcare, but that's probably not going to happen. Unfortunately, now that the tea party can't bloviate about the individual mandate, they will now find another ridiculously distorted "issue" to freak out about.

I'm not looking for an exclusively liberal discussion, even though I'm unabashedly on the extreme left. I would love to hear what everyone thinks, even people that don't agree with me! Let's open a dialogue and learn about what makes each of us support what we do. less

Me, my family, my hubby's family, and my hubby, for example?

We'd rather live in a country that still has the universal health care minus the fines we will NEVER be able to afford vs jail time for not affording the fines.

Personally, I just don't see how I can come up with $186 per year without prostituting myself or selling drugs, as I can barely afford toothpaste and have been asking friends for laundry soap for the last 5 months.

I see NOTHING good coming of this for anyone but the high class and those with money. less

Yes, health care IS still too expensive. But, the "fine" for a single person who, for some reason doesn't qualify for Medicaid yet doesn't buy personal insurance, and whose employer still won't give up the goods and provide insurance is $1.85 a week. That's a hell of a lot less than my husband and I PAY for health insurance (which has a $1,000.00 deductible AND copays.) When people don't have insurance MY insurance and everything in every doctors' office and hospital goes up in price to pay for people without insurance who use the ER as a doctor's office and never pay.

WHEN fewer people are misusing the health care system, prices should fall. THAT is part of the built in plan of this plan. Fewer bills that get rationed out to EVERY person in the hospital, lower costs.

A friend of mine's 5 year old son had a heart transplant last week. Without this plan, he would have Maxed Out of his insurance BEFORE he turned 8, they wouldn't be able to insure him and pay for ongoing medical care and he will have died before his 9th birthday. It saved this little boy. I have clients who were born prematurely and maxed out of their health care plan by being in the NICU before they came home from the hospital. NOW these children can be covered again, and many of them have ongoing health issues which forced many of their parents to lose their homes, work two or more jobs, go on Medicaid etc.

There are millions like these children, many in less dire straits, but still many NEED this plan. less