Reply #139: It might, but you keep assuming everyone gets a payroll check every two weeks

[gmoney]

I'm sure a good percentage of the uninsured are self-employed people, maybe work mainly for cash under the table, or other people who are on the edge of the system. Gardeners, day laborers, nannies, strippers, street performers, whatever. Or even those who are not employed. Plus there will be objectors who will say "I don't need no health insurance, I ain't payin'" and try to resist -- until they shoot their foot off with their shotguns or run their pickup truck into a tree.

I'm sure there will be options for payroll deduction for premiums -- and the people who do work for employers who actually collect FICA and withholding and stuff will ALSO be put in the position of verifying that their employees are all included in some sort of insurance coverage plan, either company based or through some other method.

But the way it works is, if you don't comply with the law, you pay a penalty. If you have your employer withhold too little from your paycheck, and you end up owing a lot come April 15, there is a penalty because they're trying to get you to stay within the withholding guidelines. But the penalty is on TOP of the amount you owe, and interest on that amount. Otherwise, there's no deterrent. Everyone would have nothing withheld, put that money in the stock market, then complain they lost it all when taxes came due.

The system is changing to presume that the "I can always go to the emergency room" backup is a form of health coverage, and if you're not in a formal plan, you'll be penalized for being "protected" by this safety net without paying in to the system. Think of it as retroactive premiums.