IRS: Fewer paid ObamaCare penalty in 2015

[Jose Garcia]

Source: The Hill

Fewer people paid a penalty for not having health insurance in 2015 than the year before, according to new data from the IRS.

About 6.5 million Americans paid an average penalty of $470 when they filed their income taxes in 2015, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a letter to members of Congress.

That's 20 percent fewer than in 2014, when 8 million taxpayers paid the penalty.

The IRS in total collected $3 billion in penalties from those who didn't have coverage in 2015.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/313750-irs-fewer-paid-obamacare-penalty-in-2015

[flamingdem]

1. Gee, imagine a massive effort like ACA taking some time to take hold

All the proof shows Ryan is lyin'

[former9thward]

3. People are learning there is no check.

Your tax form simply asks if you are covered. It does not ask for a name of an insurance company or a policy number. No one at the IRS checks any of this.

[flamingdem]

4. Then there really is no down side

since they can still join up should they need to

[cstanleytech]

5. Oh there is a downside if you check yes for being covered and then

a year or two later they find out you lied to them.

[former9thward]

9. Nope.

A) no one is going to check a year or two later.

B) you have to have intentionally and materially lied to the IRS. A person can reasonably think they were covered for any number of reasons however wrong.

[cstanleytech]

10. Thats what I am trying to say that if you lied and they audit you and can prove you lied

intentionally that you will probably have to pay a fine.
Granted the odds are low that an audit will uncover such a thing but it could happen.

[harun]

6. It blows my mind that even one person paid this penalty :-O

Much less millions of people.

[milestogo]

7. Really?

Can you not imagine what it's like to lose your job and have to live on unemployment compensation?

It's a kick in the face when you are already down.

[harun]

8. I don't have to imagine it, I have lived it

What I am saying is they had all sorts of plans to help people pay the basic rates of insurance instead of going without. Also 20 million new people went on ACA plans. With that considered I would think most would have been on some level of insurance and if they really still didn't want any insurance for them to also file their taxes and check that they didn't have insurance and pay the penalty seems unlikely. Expected very few or none to do that.

I'd have to think most penalty payers are health care self payers who are wealthy. Pure speculation, but the numbers don't add up for me otherwise.

[Historic NY]

2. Interesting to see 2016's number....

most I figure are refusnik's to begin with.

[NobodyHere]

11. Yay, I get to pay a penalty for something I can't afford

Screw the ACA